The Unicorn Prince
by Starflower-Gem
Summary: Harry has come into his inheritance and it was nothing like anyone expected. How will he cope with his new powers...and horn...especially with a curious Slytherin sniffing around.DMHP slash ON HOLD
1. Inheritance

_**Hey everyone, before you start reading I thought I'd let you all know about my new website. I'm working on puting all my work on it, but at the moment I've only got my UP page ready. I'll be working on updating and rewriting the story as well, but I doubt the reworked chapters will be showing up on this website (though I will most likely still update) If you want to read the new chapters first though, the website will definitely be the place to go.**_

**_www .starflowergem .com /the_unicorn_prince .html_**

**_(just delete the space's and it'll take you right there...or you could always go my profile)_**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**_

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The Unicorn Prince

_**Chapter 1: Inheritance **_

It had been a dark night with the complete absence of the softly glowing moon and stars. A light warm breeze ruffled the green leaves of the trees in the forest and carried a light floral scent to all those within it's invisible reach.

Simply put, it was a night made for magic. A night that called on the mystical creatures that lived deep inside this forest.

Inside their lairs the beasts lifted their heads and sniffed the air, cocking their heads to the side -ears alert for sounds. Many could feel the magic in the forest pulse and hum in excitement and knew that something special would happen.

And something special was happening, on the edge of the forest a group of creatures of the purest white had gathered, shifting against each other and rubbing horns together in greeting.

These magical animals were largely solitary creatures; usually only seen in two's or three's and then only by the purest of beings.

But tonight was special, tonight was magical.

They were truly beautiful, body's strong and sleek. Their necks proudly arched and their tails flicking or swaying softly in the light breeze. They seemed to be made of moonlight; indeed, if it weren't for the complete lack of a moon one might think they were just that, phantoms of the night. Their coats shimmered silver in a light that seemed to come from the beasts themselves, and their horns appeared to be made of a type of clear crystal laced with silver veins spiraling to a delicate point.

As the night wore on these ethereal creatures became increasingly restless, shifting, stomping their feet, sniffing the air, and tossing their heads impatiently. Minutes before midnight the first pulse of magic struck the forest and the creatures gathered at it's edge began to change.

The strong forms shrunk, their silky fur melting into pale flesh. Long legs transforming into delicate human looking arms and legs, attached to elegant softly curved and pleasantly rounded bodies. Their muzzles shrunk transforming into beautiful, oval human faces, and their manes-turned-hair cascaded down their backs in waves of liquid moonlight. Their eyes, black as pitch, reflected the light of the missing stars and stared eagerly into the darkness, towards the lurking castle. Ears, almost human, peaked from the sheets of moonlight hair in delicate elven-esk peeks. The only thing that remained truly the same, was the slightly curved horn that arched proudly from each and every ivory forehead.

The magic of the forest curled around the fair creatures, molding to their bodies in a web-like allusion of clothing.

It was almost time.

* * *

Inside the very castle the forest surrounded, tucked away in the tallest tower on the far side of the grounds, was a young boy barely sixteen. His birthday had passed recently and he was more then happy to be back where he belonged.

You see, this castle was, in actuality, a school for gifted young witches and wizards, and this boy was just such a lucky person. He was magically stronger then many of the youths currently housed within Hogwarts Halls, and it was passed time he received his full inheritance and all the…perks…it entailed.

As midnight struck the slight form arched off his bed, his eyes shooting open, their normally emerald centers now completely black.

Magic swirled around his body, caressing it and playing with his hair; then gently setting him back onto his mattress.

The young man stared up at the curtains surrounding his bed sightlessly, his breathing harsh to his own ears.

Long minutes passed as his heartbeat slowed to a more normal pace and his eyesight returned. Slowly he sat up, one of his hands clutching the crimson blankets that surrounded him, the other clutched to his still racing heart.

Then, just as slowly as he had sat up, he moved over to the edge of his bed and pulled back the hangings, slipping his glasses from their spot on his bedside table before sliding them into place. He stared at his hands for a few more moments before standing.

He couldn't stay here; something was calling him, waiting for him…out there.

With one glance towards the window the young man silently headed out the door, his roommates sleeping on undisturbed.

He padded effortlessly through the schools corridors and out the front door, not worried about getting caught. He knew he was safe, the castle slept; the magic of the night ensuring his safe passage.

As he moved through the grounds he stared up at the blank sky in wonderment, marveling at the perfect butter-softness of the night. A gentle breeze tugged teasingly at his midnight locks, curving the cool grass over his bare feet. Not that he minded; it felt…marvelous.

A beautiful smile warmed his face as he made his way towards the forest that seemed to call to him. Normally he would have been wary of such a thing; after all, the forest was dangerous…forbidden. Yet, strangely enough, he felt safe as he moved towards it. Safer, in fact, then he had ever felt; even more so then within his beloved Hogwarts.

He finally reached the edge of the forest, and stopped. He only had to wait a few moments before a figure emerged from within the shadows. A beautifully exotic woman in a luminous gown practically floated towards him, stopping feet away to smile down at him. He'd never seen anything so beautiful and couldn't help but stare.

Oddly enough, he thought nothing of the horn perched on her forehead. It wasn't important. Warmly, he smiled back.

"Welcome Child of Magic." She said in a soft, melodious voice, beckoning him forward with a pale, outstretched hand.

Without hesitation, the boy took her hand and melted into the forest beside the woman. They were both surrounded within seconds by more willowy, elflike women. As they walked, they brushed up against each other, gently running long fingers through the boys hair, or caressing his shoulders or back.

He simply smiled; basking in the attention he had never before received. Most people tended to shy away from him, not out of fear, but out of respect or uncertainty You see, this boy, young though he may be, was truly a celebrity among the wizards and witches of his world. They worshiped him for surviving a curse said to be impossible to survive. They expected him to step up and defeat a rising evil, and they offered him no help; no guidance.

They walked for a good portion of an hour before stopping before a beautiful lake, mirror-like in it's stillness.

The wondrous group settled down on it's banks, the boy in the very midst of them. The first to speak sat in front of him, clasping his hands lightly within her own. "Child of Magic, do you know of me?" She asked softly.

The boy smiled beautifully at her, "You're a unicorn." He answered simply as if such a thing were obvious, and she nodded.

"Yes, I am a Unicorn, or more correctly, a Unicorn Maiden." Her eyes, though black as night, were warm as they looked into his own glimmering emeralds, "Every new moon we," Here she gestured around her to her fellow creatures, "are blessed with the form of man. We are protectors of Magic, and keepers of the Balance. No human has ever been permitted to witness our Maiden forms, as it would kill us. Our magic would drain from us and seep into the soil, eventually fading into nothing, and in so doing, strip earth of the very core of life.

"Child of Magic, do you understand why you were called?" She asked him gently. The boy shook his head, waiting patiently for her to explain. "You, beautiful child, are blessed. Blessed with the blood of a Unicorn Maiden."

"But, how is that possible?" He asked in confusion, "You said that if a human were to see a Unicorn Maiden the Maiden would die."

The Unicorn smiled in approval, "That is true, but you see years ago, in a forest quite far from here, a Maiden fell in love with a Mortal. He had wandered into her forest and helped one of her animals. He was very handsome, and had such a soft heart and shining spirit.

"The moment the Maiden had seen him, her heart had called out in joy and her soul reached for this young man. She hadn't wanted to pine after him and waste away from loneliness now that she had found her other half; for everyone, even Maidens, have soul mates. Fearing that she would lose herself she called to the Magic of her forest and pled to be allowed to leave with this man, her love. The Magic of the forest felt the sorrow of it's Maiden, and could not stand her pain. It released her of her duty and let her enter the human world. She left her horn behind, allowing Magic to form another Maiden using it's power.

"This Maiden married into the Evans line, bearing her husband two daughters. The eldest was gifted with her fathers tall frame and kind heart, the younger inherited her mothers magic and was allowed to enter Hogwarts when she was old enough."

Here the Unicorn Maiden paused, "You must understand, young one, your aunt was not always so cruel. In fact, there was a time when she loved her sister dearly, but jealousy ate away at her, turning her bitter."

The young man looked down at his hands thoughtfully, his heart aching for his aunts pain, "Go on." He encouraged.

The woman nodded, "When your mother and father married their magic and love was so strong that when they conceived you, it was a solely magical feat. We felt you the moment you were born. You were different from the humans, but you were not quite like us. We were overjoyed to have you, though, for Unicorn Maidens seldom find their Soul Mates and so are rarely granted the privilege of children.

"When your mother and father died for you; another magic was evoked from within you, to lay dormant until your sixteenth year." As the boy was still looking down, the Maiden reached out and cupped his chin, pulling his face back up, "You, my boy, are more special then you could ever know. Child of Magic, you are the first ever male Unicorn. Tonight we are to grant you your inheritance." She rose to her feet, pulling him up with her as the Maidens around them started to sing softly, "Tonight you become our Unicorn Prince."

The young man said nothing, just smiled, and drank in the magic, letting it sweep through him, letting it change him.

The Maiden standing before him reached out and gently removed his glasses, another Maiden taken them from her and setting them aside, "No longer will you need such mortal magic's to heal your eyes young Prince." And it was true, the young man could see the Maiden as clear as if he were still wearing his glasses. "Also you will find your magic is much stronger and you no longer need your wand, though you may still use it if you wish. You will find more magic within you, new talents you will wish to explore. Do not be frightened, Child of Magic, this is your destiny. Shape the talents you already possess, hold your friends to your heart, and be open minded about those you once thought to hate. People change, young Prince. Never forget that."

She caressed his cheek softly, "Now, I know you wish to remain here, but your life is still among the wizards. You will always belong here, so do not fear to seek us out. Now, off to bed with you; you have school in the morning."

He smiled as she kissed his cheek, and wound his way through the Unicorns at their feet, making his way back to the castle by himself.

* * *

Harry Potter woke slowly the next morning, yawning and stretching like a cat. "What a weird dream." He muttered to himself, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. He paused, however, when his hand met with something…strange….that hadn't been there before.

Confused, Harry quickly made his way to the bathroom, where he proceeded to stare at his reflection in shock. There, perched firmly in the very center of his forhead was a small, yet very noticable, black horn.

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	2. The Freak with the Horn

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!**_

**_Unicorn Prince_**

_**Chapter 2: The Freak with the Horn**_

Harry Potter stared at his reflection in the mirror in dismay. This could not be happening! No, he was still dreaming; hallucinating…he was drunk!

Yes, that was it. He was drunk. Anything was preferable to believing this was real.

Unfortunately, Harry didn't feel drunk, and alcohol wasn't allowed on campus. The ministry had gone as far as casting special wards over the school to alert the teachers should a student try to sneak some in.

Fred and George had complained often and complained loud about the unfairness of it.

Harry hadn't really cared, until now.

Well, if he wasn't drunk, maybe someone had cursed him. Probably Malfoy, but Harry hadn't run into Malfoy since they arrived at school close to a week ago, so that couldn't be it.

Harry pulled at his hair in frustration. What was he going to do? He couldn't let people see him like this! He drew enough attention to himself as it was, he didn't need any help in that department.

Yet the strange horn remained firmly planted in the center of his forehead, smack where his scar used to be. Strangely enough the addition of the horn seemed to have _pushed_ his scar downward till it stopped halfway down Harry's nose. It was a strange sight considering the scar no longer even resembled a scar. It somehow seemed to have fused with his horn taking on it's coloring before fading into a shimmery silver at the end.

The horn itself wasn't very big, only about two inches tall and an inch or so thick at the base. It was the blackest of ebony with a web of ruby veins spiraling to a dangerously sharp point. Also starting at the base of the horn was a collection of strange silvery markings. Small spots that gathered around the horn and spread over his eyebrows thinly, moving down his eyes to outline his cheeks and the curve of his neck, disappearing into his hair at his nape.

Around Harry's eyes were strange black markings, making his eyes appear wider then normal and rather exotic. His ears were no longer round like a humans, but softly pointed. The tip was covered in the same silvery spots as his face and neck.

Curiously Harry reached up a hand to run over his strange new ears, marveling at the silky feeling of the spots compared to the softness of his flesh. He also noticed the backs of his hands were covered in the strange new spots as well, delicately traveling over his wrists to end about midway up his forearms.

He eyed his hands for a moment, his fingers absently tracing his ear, before he jerked back to the present.

What was he doing? This was no time to be admiring his new look in the mirror! He had to find some way to hide all this before his roommates woke up.

Maybe he could get back in bed before anyone else got up. He could remain there until he could figure out what to do.

That decided, Harry opened the door a crack, and peered cautiously into the hall.

It was empty, good. With one last check, he was out the door and making a bee-line for his dorm.

As he reached for the handle, his world came crashing down around his ears as the door swung open under his fingertips, revealing a still drowsy Seamus Finnigan.

Harry froze like a deer caught in headlights, emerald eyes wide in surprised horror. But Seamus just brushed passed him without a second look, muttering a sleepy, "Mornin' 'Arry."

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth; Harry hurried to his bed, and dived in while spelling the drapes closed.

That had been a close one. Seamus was probably too tired to take notice of Harry's strange new features. Well, whatever the reason, Harry was grateful and not about to complain.

It wasn't long before he could hear the other boys begin to stir and set about their morning routines.

About half an hour later Harry could hear someone moving next to the bed. Whoever it was, Harry suspected it was Ron, tried to move the crimson curtains only to find them resisting.

"What the…" Ron's voice swore softly from the other side of the curtain. "Harry? Why're your curtains locked? Breakfast's almost over and you'll be late for class if you don't hurry up."

"I-" Harry's voice cracked in nervousness and he took a second to clear his throat, "I don't feel too great Ron." He told his friend, "I don't think I'm coming to class."

"If you're sick, maybe you should go see madam Pomfrey." Ron's concerned voice suggested.

Harry swore internally; stupid magic. He forgot the nurse could fix just about anything with a spell or potion. _'Too bad she wouldn't be able to fix this.'_ Harry thought to himself bitterly, fingering his new horn absently.

"I really don't want to bother her so early. I'm sure I'll be fine if I just get a bit of rest." Harry answered, silently pleading with Ron not to push it. "Why don't you go ahead without me, before you miss breakfast altogether.

"Well, if your sure…" Ron trailed off uncertainly.

There was a brief pause before Harry could hear his friend's footsteps retreating towards the door.

Once Harry was alone he fell back onto his bed with a heavy sigh, his hands fisting in his inky black hair in frustration. "Just what am I supposed to do now?" He asked the empty room in despair.

**_dmhpdmhpdmhpdmhp_**

Two hours passed while Harry laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling and practically drowning in self pity.

His uncle had always said Harry was a freak, he'd just never known just how right he was.

At first Harry had felt he was a freak for having magical powers, but being surrounded by so many other people with those same odd traits, those feelings had vanished completely.

Now they were back at full force. Now he wasn't even human. That wouldn't have been so bad if he was a werewolf or vampire or something cool like that. But no, he had to turn into a bloody _unicorn_.

Not only that, but if he remembered correctly the girl last night had said he was the only male unicorn to _ever_ walk the earth.

Now how was that for messed up?

Harry sighed and banged his head backwards on the head board. Well, he couldn't stay here all day. His room mates would be back later, and Ron would expect him to feel better. Hermione would also be waiting to lecture him about missing class and the importance of completing his homework.

He already knew he couldn't face them like this, so he had to find some way, a spell or potion, something, that would-if not get rid of his new features completely-then at least hide them.

The only way to do that would be to get to the library and study. The boy inward groaned as he slipped out of bed.

Before leaving the dormitories, Harry opened his trunk and pulled out a silvery, liquid-like object. He draped the cloak around himself, lifted the hood-and vanished.

He couldn't very well have an accidental run-in with anyone; his secret would be around school before he could say 'obliviate'.

No, for now, he'd go invisible.

'_Well, first thing's first_,' Harry thought as he entered the library under Madam Pince's nose. _'I wont know what will work if I know absolutely nothing about Unicorns.'_

It was a reasonable like of thought; one Hermione could have been proud of.

So, Harry headed first for the magical creature section with an internal cringe. No one should have to be forced to think of themselves as nothing better then an animal, it wasn't very good for one's self-esteem. '_This must be what Professor Lupin goes through.'_ Harry thought as he skimmed over titles.

Harry pulled three reliable looking books off the shelves, tucked them under his arm, and made his way to the charms section. There he pulled off a book about the different types of concealing charms and glamour's.

Next he headed for the potions portion of the library and added another two books to his steadily growing pile.

Last he picked up a transfiguration book; then returned to the dorm to read.

**_hpdmhpdmhpdmhpdm_**

Three hours later found one frustrated, cranky, and not to mention hungry, unicorn boy glaring at the books and parchment that had temporarily taken over his bed.

Not one of the books he'd gotten on magical creatures mentioned the Unicorn Maidens. Sure there was lots about normal unicorns, and he'd discovered the silver spots coating his body was a mark of rank.

Apparently in normal unicorn herds there are about twenty to thirty individuals in the group, only three or four of them were even male. Rank in the herd was determined by how many spots the unicorn had on his body, and only male's had them.

This had only caused to irritate him and he'd set those books aside, not even bothering to read more then a couple paragraphs out of them. He wasn't a _normal unicorn_ after all, so most of that probably didn't even apply to him.

If he wanted to know more about what he was, he'd decided, he'd have to talk to the Maidens; and he really wasn't in the mood to chat with them any time soon. He'd see what he could get out of Hermione first.

So, irritated at that first dead end, Harry had turned to the charms book. Surely he'd find something there?

It wasn't to be though.

At first, he'd tried to simply disillusion everything. It hadn't worked, sadly. The spell simply slid down his body after sitting for two minutes.

It was a strange sensation indeed, causing the hairs on Harry's arms and the back of his neck to raise and the flesh around the base of his horn to prickle dully.

Harry decided he didn't like that feeling at all, and didn't want to dwell on it for too long either.

So, Harry tried another slightly more powerful spell.

This one stuck for a total of one minute before slithering down his body, again causing goose bumps and the dull prickle around his horn.

This carried on for a few minutes before harry gave up, disturbed not only with the multiple failures, but also by the strange feelings continually being evoked.

Had this transformation somehow messed with his magic? If so, what was he going to do about his classes? Not that his classes would matter much if he couldn't find a way to hide what had happened to him.

Another disturbing thought crept into his brain about this time. What was going to happen to him when everyone found out? He'd probably be shipped off to some exotic magical zoo or preserve or something.

This wasn't a pleasant thought, but it had Harry returning to his books with renewed determination. There was no way he was joining some magical freak show!

Harry searched through the charms book for a little longer, noting a few spells, but unwilling to actually try them just yet. A few were a little more advanced then he was, but for the most part, his hesitance stemmed from his reluctance to feel _that_ again.

The next subject Harry pursued was potions, but it soon became clear that _that_ was not an option.

It wasn't that he doubted his ability to make them as a few were particularly simple; it was the amount of time it would take to brew them.

The shortest length of time was a high level cream that, if Harry was even capable of completing on his own, would take up to five hours to complete. And that was _if _he didn't get caught sneaking ingredients from Snape in the middle of class; as he was pretty sure he didn't have 'Collapsing Horam Shells', and he had no clue what a 'Cormedad' even was.

Simply put, Harry didn't have five hours; he'd be lucky if he still had an hour and a half.

So, he'd abandoned those books as well, turning to his last field with desperation. It had to be in here somewhere. There had to be something!

Forty-five minutes later harry admitted defeat; closing the last book and settling back in his bed to once more bask in his self pity.

This was terrible. His life had just taken an unnerving nose dive, and Harry had no control over the broom.

Ron wasn't going to want to be friends anymore, and Hermione would likely want to run all sorts of tests before dissecting him. Dumbledore would be disappointed in him of course, and Remus would want nothing to do with him since he wasn't even a normal magical creature. Male Unicorns Maidens weren't even supposed to exist, the name itself said as much; you just can't be a 'male-maiden'…it doesn't work.

He was unnatural, a true freak.

The sounds of footsteps on the stairs brought him back to himself. Harry put his head in his hands and groaned loudly as the first boy entered the room, "what am I gonna do?" he wondered frantically, starting to panic.

Harry didn't have much time to dwell on that question as Ron was already next to the bed asking questions, "Harry wake up, classes are over."

Harry groaned loudly, not at all looking forward to what was to come as he could see no way around it.

Ron must have taken Harry's groan to mean he wasn't wanting to wake up yet, as his next words were, "Come on mate, you must be feeling better by now. Besides, 'Mione's right ticked you skipped out on classes. Say's you should've gone anyway."

Harry couldn't agree less, _'Let's see her wake up with a bloody horn in the middle of her face and see if she still wants to go to class.'_ He thought harshly before rethinking that, _'Then again, this is Hermione we're talking about. She probably wouldn't even let that keep her from her beloved classes._'

"Come on Harry. Dinners starting soon and I doubt you've eaten all day." Wow, Ron knew him rather well. Harry really hadn't eaten anything and he was ravenous by now.

Harry's stomach rumbling angrily decided it for him. Steeling himself, Harry reached for the curtains.

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	3. Dreams are Where the Heart Resides

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

* * *

**_The Unicorn Prince_**

**_chapter 3: Dreams Are Where the Heart Resides_**

_Draco walked through the empty halls of Hogwarts with the grace and surety of a pureblooded Malfoy. _

_The corridors ahead were dark, but as he strode forward candles on either side of the young man lit, and the previously lit candles were swallowed by the darkness behind him._

_The only sound in the silence was that of the heels of his boots clicking on the stone floor._

_It was as it was every night, every dream was identical and Draco had memorized it months ago when it had first started._

_Next would be the scent, a rich floral aroma would permeate the air, wrapping around Draco's senses even as a thin mist twined about his feet._

_Once this happened it would be mere moments before he stood before the glass door leading into the gardens._

_Draco never hesitated; even as his heart beat sped up and his eyes practically glowed in anticipation. The door gave way before him with ease, letting him into the magical garden._

_Always Draco stepped out into a strange, mystical mix of the seasons. Large fluffy snowflakes floated carelessly onto the summer grass beneath Draco's suddenly bare feet. Flowers paining the landscape under a patchwork of green, red, and gold leaves that clung desperately to the branches reaching out above Draco's head._

_Draco paid the fairy-tale scene no more then a passing glance, as he had seen it all before. His mind was focused solely on the centerpiece of the garden._

_There lay his very reason for breathing. A strange combination of sunlight and moonlight bathed the ethereal figure making them appear to glow._

_Never taking his eyes from the heavenly figure slumbering in the midst of this strange paradise, Draco padded softly to their side sinking into the grass beside his heart._

_Even with the strange light surrounding the sleeping body, Draco found it impossible to make out their features. He couldn't even be sure if the holder of his soul was male or female._

_In this strange dream state Draco couldn't bring himself to care. So long as he could be beside them, touch them, it didn't matter._

_Draco reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair from the strangers face (the part of his mind that would usually protest such actions as being un-Malfoyish was conveniently closed down for these dreams)._

_This all happened every night, and every night he'd lightly kiss the person's forehead before waking up feeling confused and a little disturbed._

_This time, though, something changed. Before Draco could bestow the customary kiss, the figures eyes fluttered open and Draco was caught in a swirl of spring green; bright and beautiful._

_The dreamscape rabidly evaporated around him; all except for those eyes and a lilting voice that whispered in the air around him sending chills down his spine, "Our Prince has finally awakened!"_

Draco woke up, that strangely alluring voice still echoing through his mind, _'Find him' _it urged, _'Find him.'_

"Well, that was different." The young man murmured to himself. Trying not to dwell on the confusing feelings the dream often provoked within him. He was a Malfoy and Malfoy's were not effected by their dreams. If it was up to his father, Malfoy's wouldn't dream at all. Dreaming, in Lucius' eyes, was a weakness.

Draco had been having that particular Dream, since halfway through the last summer. It wasn't a normal dream either. It had a distinctly _different_ feel to it then a normal dream.

It also didn't fit in with Draco's _other_ Dreams. Those Dreams usually left him shaky, weak, and with the need to well…empty his stomach. Perhaps that was what had caused his father to see dreams as such a weakness.

These new set of Dreams weren't followed by any of those symptoms, though. Instead, Draco always woke up with a strange sort of _longing_, a yearning in his very soul.

Draco was sure his father would be even more convinced of Draco's weakness if he discovered these new Dreams. So, Draco kept them under lock on key; ignoring them during the daylight hours. It wasn't as hard as it could have been, especially since the Dreams didn't seem to have any real meaning behind them.

Of course he'd spent long hours in the Manor library after they had first started, searching for answers. There was nothing.

This lack of answers only encouraged him to ignore the Dreams, as it led him to believe this Dream was somehow connected to his Gift. Though how he couldn't be certain.

His father had made it painfully clear what he thought of Draco's _Gift_. He'd cleaned out the library of any book even remotely related to the subject and forbade Draco to speak about it at such a young age that it had become second nature to Draco.

Curious as Draco was about this unique talent, he had carefully avoided mention of it and deliberately stayed away from that subject in Hogwarts library. His father had also forbidden him to take any classes that could cultivate his Gift, no surprise there.

But all that was before this dream. No matter what his father had to say about it, Draco _needed _to know.

With the change in the dream Draco fully intended to find out what was going on. Something in him needed these answers. Even if he had to go to _her,_ he would. This was too important to let his father control his actions, Draco could feel it as surely as he could hear the strangely echoing voice.

'_Find him'_ It murmured repeatedly. Even now Draco felt compelled to drop everything and search the castle top to bottom for this so called 'Prince'. If he was even at Hogwarts at all.

Luckily for Draco, he was a Malfoy, and Malfoy's were raised to have complete self control. There would be no random goose-chases in his immediate future, especially without first having breakfast.

Draco sauntered from his room into the Slytherin common room. There he collected a small group of followers. This group included his self appointed body guards, Crabbe and Goyle; as well as the two closest friends he had: Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson (who doubled as his betrothed).

The betrothal was not a situation Draco particularly favored, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Pansy, on the other hand, seemed delighted to be engaged to him. And why shouldn't she? He _was _quite the catch.

The only heir to the Malfoy fortune. Young, handsome, athletic, intellectual…Draco was an all around God, if he did say so himself. Who wouldn't want him? His only real…_flaw…_was his Gift Besides there really wasn't anything he could do about _that _other than ignore it, exactly as he had for the last thirteen years.

**_dmhpdmhpdmhpdm_**

The day went by relatively quickly and Draco was just heading to the great hall for a late dinner. He'd just turned down a corridor when the strangest sight had met his eyes, catching him completely off guard.

Standing on the far end of the corridor was the last thing Draco had ever expected to see within Hogwarts walls. A beautiful ebony creature with sparkly emerald eyes, identical in color to those from his dream, stared at him for an eternity of two seconds before vanishing around the corner. Draco had no doubt as to what type of creature it was. The horse-like creature stood about as high as his chest and a long, deadly black horn spiraled from the center of it's forehead.

Draco was almost positive that he'd just seen a unicorn. But, whoever heard of a _black_ unicorn? And what was it doing in Hogwarts?

Mind swirling with questions, Draco sped up his pace and turned the corner. The hall ahead was completely empty.

Draco blinked, his only sign of surprise. Maybe this was also an effect of his Gift: seeing things. It would make sense; as disturbing as that was to the young man.

"Draco? Are you alright? You look a bit pale." Pansy's voice broke into his thoughts. Her hand was on his upper arm and her eyes were filled with as much concern as a Slytherin was permitted to feel-which wasn't much.

Draco sneered at her, shaking her hand loose, "I'm perfectly fine, Parkinson." He snapped automatically.

Despite his words, Draco Malfoy was more then a little shaken as the words were repeated once again, _"Our Prince, find him!"_ What in the name of Merlin was wrong with him?

_**hpdmhpdmhpdmhp**_

"Come on Harry. Dinner's starting soon, and I doubt you've eaten all day." Ron implored from the other side of the curtain Harry was currently hiding behind.

Harry would have liked nothing more then to continue hiding all day, but Ron was correct, he hadn't eaten all day and he was ravenous. Sighing in resignation, and steeling himself for his friend's reaction, Harry reached out to move the curtains.

Ron wasn't the only person waiting for him on the other side of the curtain, his whole dorm seemed to have gathered around his bed to wait for him to come out. Harry looked at the group nervously before casting his eyes downward, preparing himself for the inevitable.

His life at Hogwarts was officially over; Dumbledore would never let an animal study there, and even if he did, the ministry would surely have something to say.

Silence reined for a few minutes as the boy's watched they're friend, while Harry waited with baited breath for the biting comments sure to be hurled his way.

They never came.

Ron looked back at the others with a confused look on his face before reaching out to his best friend, "Hey, you alright? If your still sick we'll leave you alone."

"Yeah, if you want, we'll even bring you back something from dinner." Neville agreed.

Harry looked up, confused about this reaction. Sick? He wasn't sick. Harry studied the faces of his friends, searching for a hint of disgust or pity.

He found none; it was as if he was still normal. Was it possible they couldn't see the changes? Could he have imagined what he saw in the mirror?

A quick glance at his hands assured him that, no, he had not imagined it. His stomach grumbled again and he looked sheepishly at his amused friends, "Well, I am kinda hungry, and I do feel better." He said tentatively, still nervous about his new look.

"Well, come on then." Ron said loudly, turning on his heel and heading for the door, "I'm hungry, and I can hear the Great Hall calling my name."

Harry stood up and went to follow Ron when Dean caught his attention, "Hey, Harry, what about your glasses?"

Harry glanced over at his curious friend before his eyes darted back to his bedside table where his glasses usually sat. His hand automatically moved to his face, but they weren't there. A frown made it's way onto his face as he stared at the empty bedside table. Strangely enough, he could see it as if his glasses were on. Actually, he could see better then he ever had while wearing his glasses.

He glanced back at his friend's, who were watching him intently.

" I can't remember what I did with them." He lied. Oh, he knew exactly what had happened to his glasses, those stupid unicorns had them.

It was Ron's turn to frown, "Are you gonna be alright without them?" He asked, worried. Everyone knew Harry was as blind as a bat without his glasses, therefore it was a surprise when Harry just shrugged it off.

"I can see fine without them." He admitted softly.

His peers gaped at him, "Are you serious?"

Harry looked at them, "Of course I'm serious; I don't know why, but I can see just fine right now."

"Okay," Ron said slowly, before following Harry out the door.

"Hey Harry, you feeling better?" Hermione asked as they came down the staircase, "I got all your homework and you can copy my class notes. I told all the teachers you were feeling sick, and they expect you back in classes by tomorrow so if you still feel sick you better go to Madam Pomfery."

Harry grinned at his friend, relieved she too was acting normal. In fact, everyone was acting as if nothing was wrong. As odd as it was, Harry was greatly releaved, "I do feel better Hermione, Thanks."

She beamed back at him before frowning slightly, "Harry, where are your glasses?"

Harry glanced down, "I lost them." He muttered, looking embarrassed.

Her frown deepened, "How do you expect to do your homework without your glasses Harry? That was very irresponsible of you, we'll have to see if we can find them. Will you be alright till after dinner, or should we look for them now?"

Harry looked back up at her, "I'll be fine, Hermione, I can see just fine without them."

"Since when?" She asked skeptically.

Harry gulped, "Well…" He said uneasily, "I didn't even notice I wasn't wearing them when Ron woke me up just now." It was only half a lie, he really hadn't noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses. Now that Ron and Hermione had brought it up, he felt weird. Like he was naked. His fingers were itching to push up his glasses, but there were no glasses to push up.

Hermione was still frowning, though now she was frowning thoughtfully instead of worriedly, "Maybe this has something to do with your feeling sick this morning." She pondered aloud.

Harry shifted nervously; Hermione really was too smart for her own good.

"We can ponder all the mysteries of the world later, Mione, right now I would like to eat." Ron interrupted and Hermione sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, fine. Come on then." She huffed, leading the way out of the common room.

**_dmhpdmhpdmhpdm_**

After dinner Harry trailed after his friends down the corridors back to Gryffindor territory. He was exhausted, and couldn't wait to slip into bed.

Dinner had been trying, though none of his peers seemed to suspect a thing. Snape kept sending him evil looks, and Dumbledore watched him with a strangely closed off look; all hint of sparkly eyes gone.

To be honest, Dumbledore's reaction worried Harry. Dumbledore could see through invisibility cloaks; so, did that mean he could see Harry's new attributes? He dearly hoped not; he wasn't sure he wanted anyone to find out.

As he reached the end of the hallway he heard something behind him and glanced over his shoulder automatically. Green eyes locked with mercury for a moment before Harry sped up, slipping into the secret passage before it could close all the way behind his friends.

Now Harry was more confused then ever. He was used to seeing disgust and hatred in those silvery eyes, not surprise. Yet, Harry was sure Malfoy's eyes had widened and his eyebrows had both raised in complete shock.

This worried Harry more then the possibility that Dumbledore knew what happened. If Draco found out, life as Harry knew it would be over.

"Hurry up Harry!" Hermione called back at him and Harry glanced up; noticing his friends were almost out of sight.

**_hpdmhpdmhpdmhp_**

That night Harry was asleep almost as soon as his head hit his pillow. His curtains were pulled closed for privacy, and all the other boy's were still in the common room socializing, otherwise someone might have seen the silvery glow surround the boy for a split second before he was carried off into his dreams:

_Harry sat in his garden on a low stone bench, staring up at the snowflakes that were falling between the colorful array of leaves. A soft smile curved his lips slightly as he held out a hand to catch the falling snow. The feathery crystals were, surprisingly, warm to the touch and didn't melt right away. _

_The air was thick with a floral perfume thanks to the many flowers scattered around his sanctuary, and as a gentle wind swept through the garden a new scent greeted the young man. This scent was just as rich as the first, only better. A mix of heady spice and sweet vanilla swirled around him urging him to look up._

_He did so and saw, framed in the doorway, a shadowy figure, "there you are." He said softly, "I've been waiting for you." It was true, though Harry didn't know it until that moment._

_The other figure, who was taller then him by about a head or so, stealthily swept towards him. This person had the grace of a dancer with an underlining strength and agility. "I know you have," a silky voice murmured as the stranger moved closer, "and I've been searching for you for a what could be an eternity." This caused Harry to smile as the other man settled beside him on the bench their body's turned to face each other._

_Slowly Harry reached out and took the strangers hand in his own, smiling up at him adoringly. The dream faded around them and Harry happily slipped into a different dream, though this one was far less enjoyable._

In some dark corner of the earth, in a old dusty mansion the Dark Lord woke, a cruel smile curling his lips. Finally, something he could work with.

* * *

**_Well, I brought Draco into the picture and added a real plot, all in one shot. I must admit I'm rather proud of myself at the moment...I just hope this chapter made sence to someone other then myself, please tell me if you are confused about something._**

**_Now, feel free to _**

**_Review!_**


	4. Irritations

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**_

* * *

**_The Unicorn Prince_**

**_Chapter 4: Irritations_**

The next day Harry woke up with the most peaceful feeling he'd ever had. He couldn't remember what he'd been dreaming about, but whatever it had been, it had been nice and Hary honestly didn't want to wake up.

Especially when he remembered what had happened the previous day.

Despondently, Harry flopped over onto his stomach and attempted to bury his face in his pillows. _Attempted _was the key word here. Harry found, to his irritation, that his horn sank right through the fabric (_and wasn't _that _that a strange sensation_), and when he tried to pull back, his horn tore through the pillow like butter.

The sound of ripping fabric was loud in the early morning silence and Harry found himself holding his breath, hoping he hadn't woken anyone. He could just see _that_ conversation:

_"Harry? You alright? I thought I heard something."_

_"Oh, don't worry about it Ron, it was just my new horn (that you can't see for some mysterious reason) ripping my pillow to shreds. Really, nothing you need to concern yourself about."_

Yeah, that would go over real well.

When no one said anything, Harry relaxed enough to sit up and examine the damage. His conclusion? He'd be needing a new pillow.

Sighing Harry set his ruined pillow aside (it was cut clean in half and the stuffing was everywhere) and set about getting ready for class.

This also presented a problem. When Harry slipped the shirt over his head two things happened. One: the loud sound of fabric rending filled his ears once more, and Two: His arms started burning. The sensation was so bad he literally tore his shirt off to relieve the painful irritation.

A few seconds later the feeling was gone and Harry was alarmed to find his eyes clouded by tears. Furiously he wiped them away and looked down at his ruined shirt in disgust.

Completely fed up with the morning already Harry cast the shirt next to his abandoned pillow, his mind already puzzling over that had happened. First and foremost was the pain he'd just experienced; there had to be a reason for it.

As Harry looked at his arms he realized just what the reason was. The pain had not covered his whole upper body, no it had been originating from his arms. For some reason the silvery spots that decorated his arms and face had become super sensitive. That's what he was guessing anyway, because it merely tingled lightly as his fingers passed over them.

It was odd, but easily bypassed by rolling his sleeves up above his elbows. See, problem solved.

Now for his stupid horn. That thing had proved more trouble than it was worth. How in the world had he managed to get dressed without problems yesterday but he rips his shirt today?

It was stupid and downright aggravating.

Carefully Harry pulled a new shirt on, adjusting the sleeves so the fabric wouldn't touch the sensitive skin on his forearms. Then he slowly, cautiously pulled it over his head, purposefully leading his horn through the hole, not the cloth.

Once that was done, dressing was much easier (not to mention quicker).

Everyone was finishing up dressing by the time Harry emerged. Ron directed a slightly amused look his direction, "Decided overnight to start practicing intense modesty, mate?" He teased.

Harry flushed slightly, suddenly struck with how odd it was to get dressed while still in bed. He chose not to comment; shrugging instead and hoping his friend would drop it.

Luckily he did and together they headed for the Great Hall, Hermione joining them as they passed through the common room.

_dmhpdmhpdmhpdm_

The short walk to the Great Hall was very uncomfortable for Harry due to the fact that the sleeves of his outer robe (though loose) still rubbed repeatedly against his silvery flesh.

At first it wasn't painful, just irritating, a slight itch he was sure he could ignore. Halfway through lunch he was proved wrong. Harry was having trouble concentrating on his meal because of the steadily growing burning on his arms.

Every second the pain seemed to climb higher and higher until it finally reached the point that he was forced to remove his robes and drape them over the back of his chair.

Once that was done he turned just in time to see Hermione's inquisitive look. He just smiled a bit and dug into his food. He could feel the girl's eyes on him for a few minutes, but chose to ignore it.

Harry ignored the headmaster as well, he was also staring at Harry intently. Harry wasn't sure if that meant Dumbledore knew bout his changes or not. If he did, then why wasn't he talking to Harry about it?

As the day passed things progressively got worse. It started in History of Magic where you either slept or daydreamed. Unless you were Hermione of course, then you took notes.

Harry was by no means a Hermione and let his mind wander freely as he pretended to take notes (he was really just doodling absently).

It started as a slightly irritating tickle, but slowly morphed into a distracting itch. When the marks finally stared burning, Harry dropped the quill with a hiss of pain.

Deprived of the contact, the sensation vanished almost instantly.

This was getting downright weird.

In annoyance Harry raised his hand to his face for closer inspection.

As he had noticed the previous morning, the silvery marks were not the same texture as his skin. They looked softer somehow, smoother, almost silky. They did not cover his hands completely, his palms and the pads of his fingers were blessedly clean.

When Harry brushed his fingertips over them, he felt a light tingling, almost equivalent to a gentle breeze. Slightly nervous, Harry pressed more firmly against the marks, deliberately holding the contact for a few minutes. The gentle tingling faded within moments as Harry waited for the pain to set in.

It never came.

Confused, Harry trailed his hand across the spots again absently, the tingling following his fingers like fire on a trail of gasoline.

At length, Harry picked up his quill and twirled it absently between his pointer finger and thumb. The quill was one he'd had for a couple months and had used often. It was an ordinary, everyday quill.

Cautiously Harry brushed it over the marks on his arm, deliberately keeping the stroke light. The tingling feeling returned. It was not only stronger, but a lot more irritating and lasted a few moments longer then when he used his fingers.

Harry's eyes narrowed in concentration as he slowed the next brush stroke, deliberately pressing the feather more firmly against his arm. The tingle turned rapidly into an itch. Then Harry stilled the feather altogether and the itch became the all to familiar burn.

The longer he held it against his flesh, the worse it became and Harry was forced to stop or risk crying out in pain.

He sat, breathing deeply and the world around him returned with his senses. Harry became uncomfortably aware of his two friend's eyes on him.

Harry looked up into Ron and Hermione's faces, both were watching him intently and it was obvious they had been doing so for quite some time.

Harry felt his cheeks flush in embracement at being caught, but neither said anything about his extremely odd behavior.

H was eternally grateful for that because he couldn't think up a good excuse anyway..

Next was Defense against the Dark Arts, and again he was reminded how complicated his life had become.

They were split into pairs and told to dual against each other so the professor could more accurately plan the lessons based on their skill level.

Now, Harry had no problem casting the spells; in fact, it seemed much easier then usual. No, the problem arose when his partner shot a spell at him.

He felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. The hair on the back of his neck and on his arms stood on end and the prickle at the base of his horn returned.

Harry gasped inaudibly, eyes locked on his partner.

"Strange." Dean mused, looking passed Harry, then to his wand in confusion. "My spell didn't hit you, did it?" He didn't wait for Harry's conformation, but kept on talking, "It must have missed you by a hair, but it didn't hit anything behind you."

Dean was frowning, and Harry seized his confusion to cover up, "Yeah, weird."

Dean shook it off to grin at Harry, "Wanna try again?"

Harry wanted to protest, but before he could get a word out that icy rush returned as well as the prickle of skin at the base of his horn. It was extremely uncomfortable, and caused Harry to shiver slightly.

Frustrated at his lack of success, Dean subjected Harry to three more bouts of icy sensations. Harry had to force himself not to shiver violently, refusing to let his teeth chatter. He finally caught enough breath to interrupt, "Dean! Stop! This isn't getting you anywhere. Why don't you go practice a bit on your aim. We'll try again later, alright?" That was a lie. He wasn't one to deliberately place himself in undesirable situations such as that, he found himself in enough of those without deliberately looking for trouble.

At his friends downcast expression, Harry almost felt bad about it. '_Almost'_ being the key word here. He was still freezing and offset by the prickling feeling, so he easily cast any guilt aside.

Well, at least he knew his magic was working, even if Deans wasn't. What was up with that anyway?

_hpdmhpdmhpdmhp_

Harry skipped lunch in favor of the library (a very Hermione thing to do), spending a good hour pouring over books in hopes of uncovering some answers.

He got nothing. None of the books he looked through said anything about Unicorn Maidens, but there was a ton of useless information about normal unicorns. It was very distressing for the poor boy.

Lunch was over before he knew it and he headed out to Hagrid's hut, despairing if he'd ever get his answers. It was starting to look like he'd have to ask Hermione for held. Harry had hesitated in asking her though, she was far too clever and chances were high that she'd figure it out.

Harry passed his two friends in the Halls on his way down, they both shot him worried glances. They were most likely concerned that he hadn't eaten lunch.

He didn't have time to talk to them before class, or he'd be late, so he simply smiled reassuringly and sped by. Neither of them were taking Care of Magical Creatures with him this year. Ron had dropped it in favor of Muggle Studies (at his father's insistence), and Hermione thought Wizarding Law would be more useful later in life.

Harry was rushing down the front steps, resigning himself to ask for Hermione's help later, when a brilliant thought snuck up on him from behind.

His footsteps slowed visibly as he rolled the idea over in his mind. It was so obvious he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. He'd ask Hagrid.

The class was relatively small now, and growing smaller every year. Harry could tell it bothered the friendly giant, but there wasn't anything he could do but support him.

"Hi Hagrid." Harry greeted cheerfully as he approached, "I was wondering if I could talk to you."

The big man grinned down at Harry, "Sure 'Arry, jus' let me git class started."

After the other students were occupied, Harry approached his professor again, "So, wat did ya wan ta know?" Hagrid questioned.

"Well," Harry said slowly, thinking about his wording carefully. "I was wondering if you knew anything about…Unicorn Maidens."

Hagrid looked surprised, but answered anyway, "Sure I do, 'Arry. Tha's gotta be one 'o the oldest legends. How'd ye 'ear 'bout it 'nyways? It's not much talk'd bout now'days."

"I-uh, read something about it in the library, but it didn't way much, just in passing, really. I couldn't find anything about it and was curious, that's all." He tried to explain evasively…which turned out to be a bit tricky and he found himself wishing he'd thought up a better reason.

"Most o' the old family's pass down the stories." Hagrid explained.

Harry thanked him and wandered back to his assignment to get started on it before the end of class.

Maybe he wouldn't halve to ask Hermione at all; he could talk to Ron about it instead. He would also be heading back to the library that night as well, turns out he was looking in the wrong section the entire time.

He'd have to have a peek in the Myths and Legends section instead of the Magical Creature's section.

_dmhpdmhpdmhpdm_

Draco spent what little time he was not in classes, in the library. Sadly the section covering his Gift was decidedly small and most of the tomes were bogus anyway.

He did find one mention of someone having a Dream similar to the one plaguing his sleep recently. The book referred to the experience as a 'Soul Seeking Trance', whatever that meant. The text had not gone into detail and no other references could be found.

Draco was left with only one option: He'd have to speak with the Professor about this and hope his father _never_ found out.

_hpdmhpdmhpdmhp_

"Ah, Lucius, Severus. Just the Death Eaters I was looking for." Lord Voldemort intoned as his two servants apparated to him, bowing low.

"What is it you require, my Lord?" Lucius purred as he straightened.

Voldemort smiled cruelly, "I have just come across a marvelous revelation regarding our little Golden boy."

"Oh?" Professor Severus Snape inquired with a raised eyebrow. How odd, he hadn't noticed any change in the boy, and Dumbledore hadn't mentioned anything to him.

"Oh, yessss." The Dark Lord hissed, obviously pleased with his find, "The dear boy has begun having Soul Mating visions."

At this Lucius' eyebrows raised in surprise, "Indeed, this is a surprise." he agreed readily. There hadn't been a Soul Mating reported in well over a thousand years, "But what do you require our services for?"

Voldemort's twisted smile sent foreboding chills down the Potions Master' spine. "I need you and Severus to work on a way to trap the boy inside these dreams. With your brilliant Spellman ship, Lucius, and Severus' excellent potions skills I'm sure you will not disappoint me."

Again the two men bowed obediently and left, already discussing details between themselves.

Lord Voldemort reclined back in his throne, smiling in wicked amusement. If things went accordingly Harry Potter would be out of his hair in a few weeks.

* * *

**_Well, there we are, all done. I hope you all enjoyed that little chapter, I'll get working on the next one. Now, one thing I want to make perfectly clear, I do not want this story becoming like all those other creature fics that all blend in and are identical...I want this to be orriginal with orriginal idea's, so if you think I'm starting to sound like I'm slipping in that direction, please tell me._**

**_Review!_**


	5. Harry's Strange New Allergy

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!_**

* * *

**_The Unicorn Prince_**

**_Chapter 5: Harry's strange new Allergy_**

Harry didn't get to talk to Ron about the Unicorn Maiden legend that night. Hermione had cornered Ron shortly after supper and soon they were engulfed in a jungle of homework and Prefect report papers.

Harry, wisely, retreated up the stairs, where he promptly set about getting ready for bed.

It did not take the boy very long to discover yet another problem. When he went to lay down he was alarmed to feel the marks on his arms start to burn. His blankets and sheets were then added to the list of 'untouchable' things.

It took him a few minutes to work out a way for him to sleep painlessly.

1. No shirt.

2. His blankets were pushed down to his waist.

3. He had to sleep with his arms on his chest.

It didn't make for a very comfortable sleeping arrangements, but you have to do what you have to do.

Sadly Harry didn't return to the sweet dream of the night before. Instead he was again assailed by his regular bad dreams and nightmares. That coupled with the multiple times he woke up because he'd shifted and his arms were no longer pillowed on his chest, was enough incentive for Harry to get up early.

It was still dark outside and he was exhausted, but he was tired of the pain, besides, he was freezing. He was in the common room before the blazing fire doing homework almost before he'd made the decision.

When the first rays of sun filtered through the high windows Harry decided it was time to go get dressed.

Back in his dorm Harry carefully maneuvered a shirt over his horn, making sure his forearms were left uncovered.

He had just fished out a pair of pants when fire lanced across his abdomen and lower back before shooting up his spine. Harry's breath hissed out as he yanked the shirt back over his head, mindless of the horn.

Panting, Harry brushed the tears from his eyes as the pain faded. That pain had definitely _not_ originated from his arms where the spots were located.

Wondering just what was going on, Harry looked down at his stomach; sure enough, silvery spots met his eyes. Harry could guess there were similar markings across his lower back and up his spine. Where else had this strange disfigurement formed without his knowledge? Suddenly concerned Harry stripped off his pajama bottoms and boxers. There were additional scatterings of spots on his thighs and backside, and two circlets of silvery freckles around both his ankles.

He'd been so caught up in everything else that he hadn't bothered to look, but if things continued in this vein much longer Harry wouldn't have anything to wear other than his birthday suit.

Things were fast becoming out of control. Harry was ready to admit he needed help. His best bet would be to consult Madam Pomphrey. She was a doctor, right? And didn't doctors keep some sort of vow of Secrecy? Besides it wasn't like he was going to tell her about the spots. Hopefully she'd think he'd acquired some weird invisible rash-this was the wizarding world, anything was possible…right?

He sure hoped so.

The decision made, Harry wrapped the invisibility cloak around his shoulders cautiously, relieved when no pain arose. He didn't need to be caught in the corridors with no shirt on. He'd never live it down.

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

The halls were freezing as Harry made his way to the hospital wing and Harry was relieved no one else was up yet because his footsteps were loud and echoed chillingly through the corridors.

Harry drew the cloak closer to his body and sped up, he felt like he was in a Horror flick and it was distinctly disturbing.

The hospital wing was deserted when he got there; not that he paid all that much attention to it. No, Harry headed straight to the door leading to the nurses office, slipping his cloak ff and hanging it by the door.

She wasn't there either, but that wasn't very surprising; it was only 5:30 in the morning, normal people were still asleep at this time of day.

Without hesitation, Harry strode to another door behind the desk next to one of the many potion-filled cabinets in the room, and knocked.

Five minutes later the door was pulled open by an older woman with curlers in her hair and wearing a hastily tied robe. "Mr. Potter? What in Merlin's name are you doing here at this time of day?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I need your help." Harry replied politely, looking up at the older woman beseechingly

"Oh, very well." She answered with a heavy sigh and a nod of her head. She disappeared for a moment, and when she returned she was slipping her glasses on and carrying her wand in a loose grip.

Harry led her back thought the office and perched on the nearest bed, looking at her expectantly.

"Well, what seems to be the problem then?" She paused before frowning slightly, "And where is your shirt, Mr. Potter? You'll catch your death!"

Harry flushed and looked down, fingering the crisp white sheet he was sitting on, "That's the problem. I put my shirt on this morning, but it hurt so much I couldn't wear it for more then a minute or two."

"What do you mean it hurt?" Pomphrey asked, all business.

"Well, it burns, really. It doesn't start out that way, it builds from a slight itch and becomes so strong I can't stand it and have to take the shirt off."

"Hm…I see. And where does it hurt?"

Harry pointed out his stomach and arms, then went to explain about his back.

Madam Pomphrey ran check after check; test after test until Harry was hard pressed to hold back his shivers. He bit his lip as the healer cast one more spell, and he again felt the icy rush pass over him, leaving goosebumps on his skin. She ran her fingers lightly over one of his arms before stepping back and nodding decisively. "It's nothing to be worried about, you've just acquired a new allergy to the fabric of your clothes. I'll have Professor Snape make a potion for you. Return during lunch and I'll have it ready."

Harry opened his mouth to ask if he could stay there until lunch, but Madam Pomphrey beat him to it. "In the mean time, I want you to go to all your classes. Take this pain relieving potion, it should last long enough for you to take the other potion." Harry could only nod and take the potion from her hand. Then she was gone, heading back through her office.

Harry stood up slowly, collected his cloak, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. The other boys were still asleep as he crawled back into bed and pulled his curtain closed around him.

Would she really be able to fix this so easily? If so, maybe he should tell her the rest of it. Maybe she'd be able to get rid of his horrible horn and he wouldn't have to be an inhuman freak.

Yes, if this worked he'd think about telling her. Finally feeling relatively relaxed and marginally happy, Harry downed the potion.

Five seconds later Harry realized what a mistake that had been. He felt as if someone had dropped a chunk of frozen acid into his stomach. Then a web of icy fire shot through his veins and the skin around his horn burned white hot.

Harry gasped and doubled over, one hand clutching his stomach, the other tearing at the sheets of his bed. What seemed like hours later, but was really less then two minutes, the pain was gone and Harry could sit up properly. He was vaguely aware of the burning flesh on his arm where he'd accidentally touched the blankets.

Harry crawled to the front of his bed and leaned against the headboard, reveling in the cool, smooth surface against his flushed skin.

Harry sat there when the rest of the dorm started to stir. He sat there when Seamus, then Neville left to take their morning showers. He didn't move again until Ron stood outside his curtain telling him to hurry up or they'd be late.

Harry shooed him off telling him he was sick again and promising he'd talk to madam Pomphrey. Ron reluctantly left him behind.

**_hpdmhpdmhp_**

Harry sat there for hours until it was finally lunchtime and he was to go see Madam Pomphrey. Harry carefully crawled out of his bed, avoiding making contact with his bed hangings.

He hesitated, then picked up his invisibility cloak. There was no way he was going to march through Hogwarts without a shirt on, that was just begging for trouble.

Professor Snape and Madam Pomphrey were waiting when Harry arrived in the Hospital Wing. He waited until their backs were turned before slipping the cloak off and handing it up.

"Good, you're here." Madam Pomphrey said when she spotted him. Professor Snape just sneered at him unpleasantly. "The Professor has informed me you missed all your morning classes. I thought I made it clear you were not to ditch your lessons." The older lady reprimanded in obvious disapproval.

"You did." Harry agreed easily, "but the potion didn't work."

Both the Potion's Master and Healer frowned at Harry's words, "Strange." Pomphrey said thoughtfully, "It was probably passed the potency date, nothing to really worry about."

Harry didn't say anything to that as he walked to the closest bed. He knew it wasn't true, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

Madam Pomphrey took the potion bottle from a silent Snape and handed it to the boy. "Take it quickly, as I'm sure it won't be pleasant."

Harry sat cross-legged in the center of the bed, staring at the potion in his hands. He did not want a repeat of that morning, especially if Snape was in the audience.

Unfortunately there was still a possibility of it curing him (though he doubted it). It was possible the other potion was bad, just as Madam Pomphrey suggested.

So, ignoring his better judgment Harry lifted the container to his lips, braced himself for the worst, and downed the potion in one gulp.

Mere moments later he felt the frozen chunk of acid hit his stomach, then spread a burning cold through his veins. The skin under his horn pulsed and burned.

Harry curled into himself, falling to the bed in pain; his eyes as well as every other muscle in his body clenched, then relaxed. Harry sagged in relief, the pain subsiding after an eternity of agony. As his senses returned to him he became aware of another pain in his body. His side, and arms burned where his flesh came in contact with his bed linens. Harry sat up stiffly, and the pain faded.

Madam Pomphrey and Professor Snape were watching him closely. "If the other potion effected him like that, then I doubt the potion was at fault, Poppy. The boy's body is obviously rejecting the foreign magic."

As Snape spoke, Madam Pomphrey had taken to casting spells on Harry again. Spell after spell came at him, and Harry clenched his eyes shut at the avalanche of unpleasant sensations that assailed him. After five minutes he was no longer able to retain the grimace or shivers

Snape's eyes narrowed at him, "Pomphrey, stop. Your wasting your time, it seems Mr. Potter has become spell resistant as well."

Pomphrey hesitated, looking back at her colleague. "I've never seen anything like this before, Severus. How could this have happened?" Harry snorted to himself. He knew exactly how this had happened, he'd been turned into a bloody Unicorn, that's how. "Well, the boy can't very well tramp around the school half dressed. I'll talk to Dumbledore about it immediately."

Then she was gone again, leaving Harry in the unpleasant company of one Severus Snape.

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

When Dumbledore found out about Harry's unfortunate predicament he'd given the boy the day off to go clothes shopping. Snape was the only Professor with no classes for the remainder of the day, and so was roped into being Harry's chaperone; or more accurately, his guard.

Harry glared unhappily at the spy's back as they waited for the salesman to appear. Five minutes later they were joined by a woman in her late twenties, "Hello, I'm Lisa Tuckman, what can I do to help you?"

Snape sneered at her unpleasantly, "The boy here is in need of a new wardrobe." He drawled.

The woman's eyes swept over Harry's form appraisingly before she looked into his eyes, "I can see why, come along."

Snape placed himself in a chair near the door as Harry followed the lady from the room.

"So, where's your shirt?" Lisa asked conversationally.

Harry blushed, "Uh, that's actually why I'm here. I seem to have developed an allergy to the fabric my shirts are made of."

"An allergy, huh? And the potion didn't set it right?" Harry shook his head, "alright, that's simple enough." The woman chirped cheerfully. She led him down the hall and through a door into a wonderland of cloth.

Rolls of fabric were stacked against the walls, piles lined the floor. "So, what were your shirts made of? Knowing that will help me know what to avoid."

Harry shifted uneasily, "I'm not sure, actually." He admitted sheepishly. It wasn't like he'd had a choice in what to wear, all his clothing had been Dudley's hand-me-downs, after all.

The woman chuckled, "Don't worry about it. Your not the first boy to be uninterested in 'girly' things like that." As she spoke she picked her way through the fabrics and soon she had a small stack of sample scraps. "Here, try these. Tel me if any of them bother your allergies."

Harry gulped, this meant he'd have to feel the pain again. As much as he'd love to avoid that, he knew this had to be done.

Mentally preparing himself, Harry reached for the first square of fabric. After holding it to his forearm for a little while he hissed in pain and removed it quickly.

"Cotton is out, then." Lisa sang as he picked up the next scrap.

A hiss of pain latter and Lisa marked 'satin' off the list.

Silk, leather, and suede were also no good; and by this time the girl was beginning to frown in concern.

When polyester, snake skin, and any other halfway normal material Lisa could come up with had the same results Lisa was obviously worried. "Harry." She said seriously as she set the latest scrap (wool) aside, "I'm afraid I don't have any more…muggle…fabrics to show you." At Harry's crestfallen expression Lisa quickly continued. "That doesn't mean that's all I carry, though. I also have a wide assortment of magical fabric."

Harry gave her a slightly bewildered look and she quickly elaborated, "'Muggle' fabrics, as we call them, are taken from normal plants and animals (sheep, cows, tigers, and such). But Magical fabrics on the other hand, come from magical plants and animals, (acromantula silk, dragon skin, and the ever rare fairy dust) Naturally, magical fabrics are highly expensive and worn mainly by the social elite (Malfoy, Parkinson, and Black to name a few)."

Harry stared at his hands in thought. If this didn't work than he'd be forced to either wear unbearably painful garments or walk around nude. Neither idea appealed to the boy and he quickly nodded his consent. Spending tons of money far surpassed the alternative.

Harry tentatively pressed a patch of dragon hide to his arm and waited.

A small…flutter, for lack of a better word…passed over the silver marks and that was it. No weird tingle in his horn, no irritation or itch, and _no_ pain.

Harry looked up at the sales woman with an ecstatic grin. "It doesn't hurt!" He crowed in relief.

Lisa grinned back, "That's wonderful! Try the others real fast and then we'll go over styles and cuts you'd like."

Harry did as he was told with a much more cheerful attitude. He got similar results up until the last scrap. This small square of material was a light white-grey leather that was baby-bottom-soft.

As Harry pressed it against the skin of his arm he had two very different reactions, both equally as powerful as the other, and it was very unnerving.

Harry felt a strong shiver travel up his spine and a wave of disgust assailed him. Yet at the same time his magic hummed and pulsed in recognition, it almost felt like the fabric belonged to him like a second skin.

Harry frantically tore it from his arm. "None of that." He said on the verge of hysteria. "None of that."

After a few minutes his heart rate returned to normal, and Harry was calm enough to ask, "What was that?" A small part of him didn't ever want to know, but he readily suppressed that part of him and looked at Lisa expectantly.

Lisa was obviously a little put off by his strong negative reaction, but answered anyway, "Unicorn leather." Harry felt another shiver of repulsion travel over his skin.

**_hpdmhpdmhp_**

Twenty minutes later and Harry was equipped in a pair of black dragon hide pants with matching dragon skin boots with silver buckles. His chest was now swathed in a shimmery white acromantula silk poets shirt, and a blood red velvet-like cloak swept behind him in graceful folds. The rest of his wardrobe, including a weeks worth of school robes, would be sent as they were finished over the next week.

Harry obviously didn't carry enough money to pay for the one set of clothing he was wearing, much less an entire wardrobe filled with similar apparel, so Lisa showed him how to use Blood Credit. Wizards, it would seem, have a system similar to credit cards only much safer.

Lisa had whipped out a clean piece of parchment and a small silver knife. Then she had instructed him to slit his finger and let a few drops of blood fall on the parchment. After healing the wound Harry had signed his name over the crimson stains and watched in fascination as words formed across the page in what could only be his blood. It appeared to be a store record of what he'd bought, how much he'd paid, and a number of other important facts. He'd grinned and thanked her.

Snape took this all in with a strong glare on his face, and stalked from the store.

Harry collected his invisibility cloak, said a quick farewell, and followed his professor. Now they were heading to find what else he needed, bedding and quills. Snape was obviously displeased when he'd been informed that clothes weren't the only things Harry now required, but Harry wasn't very concerned about it.

What could Snape do anyway? Poison him? With the way his body was acting at the moment, Harry highly doubted that was even possible.

The next stops were not quite as long, but just as expensive. He'd had to special order a new quilt, sheets, and bed curtains, as well as a new backpack. His new set of quills included Phoenix feathers, griffin feathers, and hippogriff feathers.

Finally finished, Harry stepped out into the street just as an explosion erupted just down the street from him. Through the panic, confusion, and hysterical screams Harry heard someone yell, "Death Eaters!"

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

By the time lunch was over Draco was positive there was nothing of importance in the library, not even in the restricted section. Draco only had one option left, and that was why when his last class was over he headed up the stairs to the trap door that guarded Trelawney's rooms.

Draco hated that this was the only option left open to him. Years of listening to his father talk bad about her was not without it's effects. Plus all the stories his classmates told him, he doubted she was a true Seer. He doubted she possessed even a drop of the magic that type of study required.

"Hello, Professor?" He called tentatively as he climbed into the classroom. And what a classroom it was! Veils were draped across the room, and there was a crystal ball on every table. A cupboard in the back held tea cups and kettles and there was a stove and sink in the corner. Candles and incense clouded the room with a thick perfumed smoke and three glowing orbs cast a yellow light over the room.

"Professor?" He called again when nobody answered. A moment later a curtain of beads parted and a woman draped in garish shawls and drowning in her own glasses, floated into the room…or tried to float into the room; she really was trying too hard, "yes, child?" She questioned in a wispy sort of voice.

Draco was even more convinced that she was a fake by her appearance alone; she looked like some kind of rejected gypsy.

He ignored his impulse to turn on his heel and leave, and jumped right on in, "I need your help, Professor. I've been having these Dreams since the middle of summer and I looked through the library, but I couldn't find much about them."

"I see, why don't you tell me about these dreams?" The older, deranged looking woman crooned.

Draco opened his mouth to explain, paused, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't." Draco hesitated before continuing. He didn't want to reveal himself o this woman, but he had no choice. He couldn't explain the dreams, and he had no way of getting the information he needed. "I'm a Seer, Professor. A True, full powered Seer, and I'm sure the dream has something to do with that."

The Professor's gaze sharpened and she fixed him with a piercing stare, "A real Seer? If this is true, show me."

For someone not well versed in Seer magic this request may have seemed unusual. Draco may not have been well educated in this area, but he understood perfectly. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. "Alright." He agreed.

When Draco opened his eyes again they were no longer a cloudy gray, but bright quicksilver.

* * *

**_Okay, a couple of notes here, I don't know if Madam Pomphrey has glasses, if she doesn't sorry you'll just have to ignore that for this story cus looks like she's got them. And the second point, I know the whole spots thing has been done before as well as the new wardrobe...but trust me, it's never been done like this. I have a specific reason he can't wear normal 'muggle' clothes you'll just have to wait and see why._**

**_Now, I have a question for everyone Does anyone know what a Snidget would look like? I found a mention of it on the internet and would love to use it in my fic, but I'm not sure what it looks like. Any help on this front woud be lovely. Thanks_**

**_Review!_**


	6. A lifetime of Potter

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...he belongs to Draco.**

* * *

**_The Unicorn Prince_**

**_Chapter 6: a lifetime of Potter_**

When Draco had removed the glamour that had hidden his eyes almost his whole life, something inside him gave way. Spells, potions, and other enchantments that had been woven around him without his knowledge disintegrated within seconds leaving him feeling surprisingly light.

As Draco was hit by the full force of his suppressed powers his eyes glowed milky white and he fell to his knees under the pressure.

Years of ignored visions and dreams assailed him within moments. Images of a little black haired boy crying in a small dark closet, clutching his broken arm switched to a waspish woman yelling shrilly about breakfast. The same little boy was running through a park with a terrified look on his face, his eyes darting around for a hiding place as a pack of much larger boys chased after him, yelling and laughing loudly. A boy sat in a clothing shop looking nervously around at a blond boy the same age. A mirror. A stone. A snake and notebook. Fist fights; wizard duels. A giant Grim-like dog, a murderer. A dragon and a graveyard. More and more pictures flooded into him leaving him panting on the floor.

He felt sick as he watched an innocent man sent through the veil, knowing he could have prevented it if he had had his powers in full.

His mind was reeling from the enormity of what he'd just witnessed. He'd been having dreams and visions of Harry Potter most of his life and had never even known it. That was the thing, though, he _hadn't _known. His father hadn't wanted him to know. And he was paying for that now. He wouldn't let it happen again, though, not after this taste of freedom and power; not after having felt so whole and light.

Draco wasn't looking forward to his fathers reaction when he found out, but he would deal with that later. For now he would focus on gaining control over his new powers and finding out what those strange dreams were about.

He felt a delicate hand on his shoulder and looked up through bleary eyes at the professor. "How long?" She asked softly with a note of understanding and sympathy in her voice.

Draco closed his eyes as he answered, "My whole life."

"I see. It will get easier, you won't have anymore rushes like that, but your first few visions will leave you weak and with a mountain of a headache." She informed him, "But it will pass, and the pain and weakness will stop once your body has adjusted to your powers.

Draco nodded as he opened his eyes again. His vision was now clear, but everything looked weird. He frowned slightly at the faint shimmer in the room. He chose to ignore it for the moment and focused on his reason for being there in the first place. "So, do you know what those dreams are about?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." She said, turning and walking to her desk. As she opened one of the drawers and riffled through it she continued her explanation, "You're seeking out your Monimos."

"My what?"

"Your Monimos, your stabilizer. Without them, you could very easily get lost in your magic. If you ever do get lost in a trance or other such pull, it's near impossible to get you out. The only person with even the slightest chance to bring you back is your Monimos, but even their options are limited."

Draco was frowning now, "So, I would need to find this Monimos if I wanted to start training?" He didn't want to wait, but if it was as dangerous as she made it out to be, he really had no choice.

"Oh, no. If you want to train, I'll help you. I can stabilize you to a point, and you' be able to begin training. We won't go very deep, but it's a start." When she stood up, she had an armful of books. "I want you to read all of these. A couple are the journals of past Seers, such as Cassandra. And one was a study done by Merlin." Draco took the books, greatly relieved to finally find some material.

Draco nodded to her gratefully. "I'll be back soon to ask questions and begin training." He paused before saying, "Please don't tell anyone, this cannot get back to my father."

_**Dmhpdmhpdm**_

"Death Eaters!" Someone shouted from down the street. Harry's eyes immediately focused in that direction. He had to do something! People everywhere were panicking, running scared amidst the cruel laughter and randomly cast spells.

If Harry didn't do something fast, someone would get hurt. Determined to stop the Death Eaters, Harry started towards them, his wand drawn and at the ready.

He didn't get more then three steps before he felt an arm slide around his waist and a hand clasp over his mouth as he was yanked backwards.

The world around him became topsy-turvy and he felt the familiar tug behind his naval that identified a portkey. All those sensations, combined with the magic of the portkey had Harry feeling sick to his stomach as his horn 'hummed' and the silvery spots pulsed and prickled like a thousand red-hot needles.

Harry's eyes were clenched tightly shut as the magic faded and he could feel the ground firmly beneath his feet. His kidnapper had released him and stepped back, giving Harry room to pull himself together.

A second later the boy's eyes snapped open and he spun around to face his assailant. It was Snape, and he looked bored. "What do you think you were doing? Take me back, I have to stop them!"

Snape's eyes narrowed, "You do not _need_ to do any such thing, Potter, the aurors will do that just fine on their own."

" But its my job!" Harry shot back stubbornly.

"It is not your job to stop anyone, Potter. You are still underage, still in school. You don't know half of the spells those Death Eaters know." Snape reminded him harshly.

It didn't change anything. Harry still felt it was his duty to be there. He had to protect them, it was his job!

Harry blinked, thinking back over those thoughts. Since when did he feel honor bound to protect people? Sure, people (Snape) claimed he had a hero complex, but that was more a moral thing and most of his adventures had been either set up or accidental. Harry may be a Gryffindor, but he was also a Slytherin (as much as he hated to admit it.) and as such did not go looking for trouble.

So why did he now feel honor bound to go back and fight? He'd never felt this overwhelming urge to …well…protect people, before.

It didn't make sense, and Harry would bet his wand it had something to do with the stupid unicorn problem of his (what didn't).

Breathing huffily, Harry ignored his professor and the compelling feeling telling him he had to apparate back to the street immediately; which was completely ridiculous as he was back at Hogwarts and, as Hermione was always reminding them, you can't apparate at Hogwarts.

Whatever. He was irritated, and hungry. As he could do nothing about his first problem, he chose to solve his second complaint.

Ron and Hermione were already in the Great Hall talking to Dean and Seamus as Neville watched. Harry sat in the seat opposite Ron and started piling food onto his plate.

He glanced up as the conversation around him halted. He raised an eyebrow at his dorm mates, who were all staring at him quite openly.

"What are you wearing?" Ron asked at the same time Seamus queried, "Is that dragon hide?" he sounded rather impressed.

At Seamus' question Ron's jaw dropped and it was Hermione's turn to question him. "I thought you were sick? Did you go see Madam Pomphrey? You really shouldn't have skipped classes if you weren't sick." She chastised.

"Well, I wasn't sick, really." Harry admitted. Three of his friend looked ready to object, so Harry quickly continued. "But I did go see Madam Pomphrey. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys, but it was kind of embarrassing." At his friends expectant faces he reluctantly elaborated. "I have a unique allergy to the material my clothes were made of. Unfortunately the potion Snape made to fix it wasn't affective."

"So, you needed new clothing, that I can understand. What I don't understand is why you had to get something so obviously expensive." Hermione berated him, "I know you're not exactly poor, but you're no Malfoy either, you might need that money later on in life."

"I know, Hermione, you don't have to lecture me about it. I didn't have much choice in the matter."

Hermione's eyes narrowed when he talked back, but she ignored it, latching onto his words instead, "What do you mean you didn't have much choice? You can't expect me to believe the shop owner forced you to buy that ridiculous outfit."

Harry sighed in exasperation, "For one I picked out the outfit and I happen to like it, and for another thing, I don't have a choice. Don't worry, the shop owner was nothing but sweet, it's not her fault I'm allergic to normal fabrics."

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find anything cheaper than dragon hide?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

Harry nodded, "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"How odd." She murmured to herself, finally letting him off the hook.

Harry chose to go back to his food. He paused with an apple slice halfway to his mouth when he noticed the other boys still staring at him (and in Ron's case, his plate)

"Is that all your eating?" Neville asked softly, his voice betraying his surprise.

Harry glanced down at his plate and noticed that it was filled with fruits, vegetables, and pastries. Not a slice of meat graced his plate.

"Yeah mate, why don't you have some chicken, it's your favorite." Ron asked, holding the tray out to Harry.

Harry glanced down at the offering and scrunched his nose up as the stench of death and cooked flesh filled his nostrils, turning his stomach unpleasantly.

"No thanks." he said as he pushed the tray away firmly. Ignoring his staring companions he set about finishing his meal.

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

"What is it Severus? I was in a very important meeting." Lucius asked as he emerged from the fireplace in the potion master's private chambers.

"I have discovered a slight hitch in the plan our Lord has set out for us." Snape explained seriously.

The blond arched an eyebrow, "And that would be?"

"Potter somehow formed a resistance to outside magic. Spells have no affect on him, and his body outright rejects even healing potions."

Lucius' sharp eyes fixed on his fellow Death Eater, "Is there some way around it?"

"I'm not positive. I may be able to fix a poison that will weaken his defenses and subdue his magic for a short period of time. If we time it right, Potter's body would not be able to fight my potions and your spells. By the time he's back to normal strength, it will be too late and my potion will be in his bloodstream. We could also use a magic leech so he won't be able to throw off your spells."

"Very good." Lucius purred, "The first stage of our plan is set. I'll be sending the letters out tomorrow night."

"My potion will be ready by the day after tomorrow, and the spells?" Snape demanded.

The blond sneered superiorly, "My spells will be ready on time, you have no need to concern yourself over them." A swirl of robes and a flash of emerald flame later and Malfoy was gone, leaving Snape sneering at the fire.

* * *

**_Yes, the plot is thickening...but I'm not sure which side Snape is on...if he is on the Light side...he's still going to go through with his plan if only because Voldi would get a bit suspitious if he didn't...I'm not sure, we'll see._**

**_Next time: The Death Eaters plan begins, Harry finally asks Ron...and I'll try to get a bit of Harry/Draco interaction (but no promises)_**

**_Review!_**


	7. The Myth

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (He belongs to Draco Malfoy)_**

* * *

**_The Unicorn Prince_**

**_Chapter 7: The Myth_**

Later that night Harry was sitting in the library surrounded by a gaggle of noisy Gryffindors. Madam Pince sat behind her desk glaring daggers at the obnoxious teens, though she didn't confront them about it (Harry suspected that had something to do with Hermione's presence. She was the librarian's favorite student, after all).

"Hey Ron?" Harry said after a while. Everyone quieted down to listen to him speak (something that happened frequently, yet never ceased to unnerve him). He cleared his throat uncomfortably, but continued anyway, "What can you tell me about Unicorn Maidens."

Ron raised an eyebrow at him curiously, "Why do you want to know that?" he asked.

Harry shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, "It's an asignment Hagrid gave me." He lied smoothly. He had found it helped to know your lie ahead of time and keep it as simple as possible; for one thing that makes it easier to remember and more believable.

His pre made believable lie wasn't as believable as he would've liked, though. Harry had forgotten Dean was taking the class with him and his friend shot a rather annoying hole through his fib, "But Harry, we're studying Hydra's this week."

"That's right, Harry. Besides, from what I've read on the matter (which isn't much) Unicorn maidens are mythical creatures. Hagrid doesn't cover mythical creatures." Hermione agreed.

"It's for an extra credit assignment. I have to write a 16 inch essay on a 'real' mythical creature." He elaborated quickly.

This caused Hermione to squeal extatically, "Oh Harry, that's wonderful! I'm so glad you're starting to take your studies seriously." Ron, for his part, looked like Harry had just committed the ultimate crime.

Harry ignored the look on his friend's face as he prodded further, "Well?"

Ron floundered for a moment before a resigned look came over his features. "I"ve never really had to explain this before, I've always assumed it was something everyone knew."

Harry and hermione shared a look, "I was raised by muggles Ron, remember? I didn't even know magic was real till I was eleven." Harry reminded his best friend.

Ron blinked, "Muggles...right." He repeated, before shaking his head, "Well, I guess the legend started because of a debate about where magic came from and why some people have it and some don't.

"The legend says that when Earth was still new, nothing lived here. It was all rocky, and dead. Well, almost everything. There was a small cave in the ground, a hole really. Inside the cool crevice was a spring. And asleep beside the pool was a beautiful girl. Her hair was made of moonlight and her skin milk.

"No one knows how long she lay there sleeping or where she even came from."

"I heard she was an alien!" Seamus added helpfully, only to receive a glare from his best friend.

"Shut up Seamus. I'm trying to listen!"

Ron ignored them as he continued his story, "When she woke up she took a drink from the spring, before climbing from the chamber. As she looked around her she didn't see a barren desert devoid of life, she saw a beautiful paradise filled with green plants and playful animals. All it needed was to be nurtured.

"Some say she could sense the magic pulsing below the Earth's crust and use that to bring life to her new planet. She started with the plants (because nothing can survive without plants).

"Once her green paradise was complete she traveled around as she thought of what creatures she should grant life.

"As she traveled she encountered others just like her, all with the same goal.

"As one they agreed on the first creature that should walk on earth. They breathed life into the unicorns and set the the task of watching over the magic that remained untapped."

"Mum said that the Unicorn Maidens loved their Unicorns so much they took on that form and hid among them. She also said that they could control the very core of magic." Ginny added whistfuy.

her brother snorted, "Yeah but there's no such thing as Unicorn Maidens. If there was, they'd be ruling the world already."

Harry thought back to the dosens of beautiful Maidens he'd met and couldn't quite picture anything so pure wanting to rule the world. That was a mortal wish, and Unicorn Maidens were anything but Mortal. Did that mean he wasn't mortal either? could he too control the very core of magic?

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Proffessor McGonagall approaching the table, "Mr. Creevy, would you please come with me, there is something we must discuss."

Harry watched the younger boy leave the table, then turned back to Hermione who was speaking now, "That's facinating. I've come across meantions of the Unicorn Maidens before, but there was never much said about them. You wouldn't mind if I helped you research, would you Harry?"

he wasn't about to turn down good help (especially if he didn't have to explain anything) so he shrugged.

dmhpdmhpdmhpdm

Draco Mafoy had spent the remainder of his day in his room reading the books the professor had lended him. For the moment he was focusing his attention on his Monimos. Sadly, the books had very little to say on the matter.

So far he'd discovered that the Monimos would have to be as magically powerful as he himself was, if not more so. If he wasn't then Draco's magic would overwhelm them both, eaving them squibs at best, dead at worst.

He had also been disturbed to discover most Seers and their Monimos' wound up Bound together -usually by a wedding bond.

After he thought about it, it made perfect sense. The two spent such a large amount of time together and the 'grounding' itself was very intimate. If they didn't fall in love, they would at least be closer than siblings.

Not much was said about the actual 'grounding', and Draco had a feeling it varied from couple to couple, just like the Dreams.

Draco was so caught up in his reading that he missed dinner entirely.

When he finally looked up he decided to set his research aside for the time being. He needed to eat, and he still needed to finish an assignment for the next morning.

After a quick stop in the kitchen Draco headed for the library. he arrived just in time to see Professor McGonagall lead a shrimp of a Gryffindor away.

When Draco entered he stopped dean in his tracks and stared. He couldn't help it; he was surprised no one else was staring as well.

Sitting among a large pack of Gryffindors sat the Golden Boy Potter. That in and of itself wasn't all that odd. What was odd was that Potter...well, to put it simply: He looked different. Way different.

The first thing Draco noticed, was the horn sticking out of Potter's messy black locks. It wasn't a very big horn, he probably wouldn't have noticed it if not for the red lines running through the inky enamel. The point was it was a horn, and he was pretty sure Potter didn't have a horn yesterday.

The next thing Draco noticed was Potters clothes. They would blend in with any pureblood society with no problem. Potter's glasses were missing, and Draco was able to see the clear emeralds that usually hid behind those scratched lenses. The tips of Potter's ears peaked from the nest of black curls, and they were not rounded like any normal person's. The last change Draco noted was Potter's skin. As odd as it might sound, he could swear it shimmered.

Draco blinked and it was all gone, which only made him stare more. Yet, even without the exotic features, he looked surprisingly good...for Potter.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts he decided a bit of entertainment was in order, "Well well, if it isn't a pride of lions lounging in the library. What? Your common room not large enough to fit all the Weasels?"

Potter got to his feet defensively at the sound of his voice and faced him angrily, "Shove off, Malfoy. No one wants your nosy ferret face around here."

"Is that so?" Draco drawled, "Pity." He paused before smirking at the slightly smaller teen, "And what's this Potter? Finally decided to grow up?" As he said this, he raked his eyes over Potters (very fine) form.

Potter flushed deliciously and Draco's smirk widened, "You must excuse me, I have a report to finish." With a slightly mocking bow to the Gryffindors he swept passed them leaving one flustered boy-who-lived wondering what just happened.

hpdmhpdmhp

That night after most students were tucked safely in bed dreaming, one small boy sat curled up on the couch in the Gryffindor common room sobbing softly.

The quiet sounds were interrupted by a rapping on the window.

The boy looked up at the sound, whipping his eyes on the backs of his hands to see passed the tears.

There was an owl outside the window.

Hiccuping slightly, the boy stood up and opened the window. The owl swooped in and dropped a letter at the boy's feet before flying back out.

The boy numbly picked up the parchment and to unrolled it. He read the missive twice before falling to his knees, his eyes glistening with frightened tears.

What was he going to do? He couldn't just-he didn't-

The boy took a deep breath before closing his eyes and firming his expression.

"I'm sorry Harry." He whispered into the silence.

* * *

**_I got some interaction between the boy's in this chapter, aren't you so proud of me? (preens) anyway, I know it wasn't the longest chapter in the world, but it was important (everything I write is important) Now, I' sorry if there were any mistakes, my computer crashed recently and I no longer have word processor and the spell check on the internet wasn't very good. (they should put a spell check on ffn)_**

**_Next chapter: um...plot thickens? I can't really give any hints without giving the whole next chapter away, sorry guys._**

**_Review!_**


	8. Hunter

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (He belongs to Draco)!_**

* * *

**_Unicorn Prince_**

**_Chapter 8: Hunter_**

Sweaty blond hair fell into silver eyes as the young man collapsed, panting, onto his lover. No words were spoken for long moments as the two recovered.

The blond carefully rolled off his partner, unconcerned when the other wrapped an arm around his chest and rested his head against his shoulder. "Knut for your thoughts." The darker boy said softly, in a whispery voice.

Silver eyes slanted towards him and a moment more passed in silence before he answered, "Dragon has awakened and begun searching for his Monimos."

One dark eyebrow rose, "Do you think he'll find them?"

The blond chuckled humorlessly, "Not if father finds out." Long graceful fingers sought out the dark curls on the other's head before beginning to card through the ebony strands. The smaller boy made a pleased sound as his inky orbs slid closed.

"Will you be informing Him?" The boy queried.

"If I did so, all my plans would have to be rewritten. As things are I only have to make a few minor adjustments." The blond informed his bedmate.

One onyx eye peeked open, "Do you know who it is?"

"Unfortunately that particular detail remains clouded." He drawled, "That's not all either, my pet. A few nights ago there was a build up of magical energy. The Prince is aware now, but our Lord has plans of his own."

The darker boy rose to his elbows and looked down at his lover in slight alarm, "He won't ruin everything, will he?"

The blond smirked before reaching up to kiss the other wizard, "Of course not, pet. This will be His downfall."

Black eyes widened in surprise, "Really? So soon?"

Still smirking, the other breathed, "Indeed." He locked his lips with his lovers once more before pulling back to whisper against the other's lips. "How did you like your surprise?"

IN answer the other boy practically tackled him to the bed. Chuckling, he slid his arms around his lover and returned the kisses passionately.

"I bloody loved them." The brunette panted between kisses.

"Good, I spent weeks tracking them and that last one put up a fight worthy of a cornered hypogriff."

"Is that where you got this?" The other asked, trailing his fingers lightly over the healing wound on the other's left forearm, "It looks pretty deep."

"It was." He replied nonchalantly, before his lips curled wickedly, "But if it's all the same to you, I think you should kiss it better; after all, I got it because of you."

They locked eyes as the darker one complied, placing his lips over the pink, healing flesh, in a chaste kiss. Then his tongue slid out to lap at the smooth, pale skin.

He left a trail of kisses and light nips up the arm and over one broad shoulder to suck gently at the blonds' jaw. Silver eyes slid shut for a few moments as he savored the sensation. Reluctantly he had to put a stop to it. "As much as I would love nothing more then remaining here to continue this, you really must be getting back. Now, don't start pouting. I'm serious; but I will be coming with you. I have a few…words…for your professor. Now, hurry up and get dressed, we haven't got all day."

"Yes, Hunter." The other pouted as he climbed from the bed, causing the handsome blond to chuckle.

_**Dmhpdmhpdm**_

Little under half an hour later Hunter was leaning against the doorframe watching the tall, lank haired Potions Professor stir his latest concoction.

The other man had not noticed his presence yet, not that that surprised Hunter. The potions master had always been able to loose himself in his work. It was one of his redeeming qualities, and one of the reasons he kept him around.

"So, our Lord has given you a new assignment." He drawled slowly, so he wouldn't startle the man and cause some kind of explosion (as amusing as that might have been).

Severus Snape glanced up sharply at the sound of his voice. His face was decidedly pale and his expression was carefully blank. "Hunter." He said, bowing respectfully -if a little stiffly.

Hunter pushed away from his perch and glided into the room, "You haven't forgotten have you?" He asked silkily, fingering one of the chopping knives on the table.

"How could I forget?" The Potion's master replied bitterly, "You have nothing to worry about, I haven't betrayed your master."

The blond young man stepped closer and patted his cheek the way one might a small child, "_Our _master, dear uncle. Our Master." His smile was cold and slightly mocking as he turned away, his boots clicking solidly on the stone floors of the classroom Snape chose to work in. "Not that it truly matters. His reign will be short lived; he never should have messed with something belonging to Dragon."

Snape blinked in surprise, ignoring his now spoiled potion as it boiled sluggishly on the enchanted flame, "Draco?"

Hunter glanced back over his shoulder, "Oh? Didn't I tell you? Dragon's power's have been released. He's searching for his Monimos even now."

"You mean to say…" Snape trailed off, not truly wanting to voice his thoughts.

Hunter's lips curled upward in a vicious smirk, "Ironic, isn't it?" He shook his head, blond hair waving with the gentle movement, "Father will be rather vexed. I did warn him, though. By binding Dragon's powers as he did, coupled with his newest mission -he's only served to seal his own fate."

"Do you plan to inform him?"

Sharp silver eyes pierced through the damp dungeon air, "I've already given my warning. He is a fool who shall fall even before his precious lord." Hunter sneered. "Don't forget, Severus. You betray Him, and you wont live to regret it. I'll see to that."

With that he vanished, the shadows wrapping around him like a thick blanket as he seemed to melt from existence.

Professor Snape shivered, staring at the spot Hunter had vanished from.

_**Hpdmhpdmhp**_

Draco woke from a normal, restful sleep absolutely devoid of strange 'Prince' dreams, by the sound of someone entering the room.

It had to be close to five in the morning, so he had no doubt who it was, but he cracked an eye open anyway.

True to his suspicions, Blaise Zabini was slipping into his unused bed in an attempt to keep up the pretence that he slept in the dorm like all the other boys.

The truth was, that in all the years they'd been in Hogwarts, Blaise had never slept in that bed. It disgusted Draco to know that even at the young age of eleven Hunter and Blaise refused to sleep apart.

As much as that bothered him, it also made him wonder. If he hadn't been bound at such a young age, would he and his Monimos be just as inseparable? Would they even know each other yet?

Well, he knew the answer to that question already; of course they would know each other. They would have to. Hunter and Blaise had been together since they were six, and the only reason it hadn't been sooner was because that was when Hunter's bowers became dangerous.

Thinking about Hunter and Blaise started him thinking about his own Monimos. He wondered what he'd be like; hopefully nothing like the small black boy. Draco didn't think he could stand that.

He'd been reading up on the Monimos and learned that his dreams of this Prince were his connection to his Monimos. When he figured out who the boy in the dreams was, he'd be able to locate his Monimos. Unfortunately he would only have the dreams once a week, so he still had a few days to wait before seeing his Monimos again.

It was bound to be a long few days.

_**dmhpdmhpdm**_

The Great Hall during meal time was always noisy, but sometime's Harry thought Breakfast was the noisiest of all. You wouldn't think so with everyone half awake, but that's what made everyone so loud. Everyone was trying to out-talk the next person, each voice louder and more grating then the last. Well…that and all the sugar present at the tables.

The post came, as usual, to create even more noise. Poor Harry only wanted to crawl back under his blankets and go to sleep. Last night had been just as painfully sleepless as the night before it. He supposed he could have slept in his clothes, but that wasn't very comfortable, let alone hygienic.

Luckily, at dawn he'd been forced from bed to open the window and let in a small flock of owls; all carrying packages. Inside one of those packages was a lovely new -irritant free- bed set. The other packages consisted of clothing he'd ordered and a few extremely expensive quills. It wasn't even half of his new wardrobe, but it was a start.

Hermione's heavy sigh pulled him back to the breakfast table quite effectively. She was staring down the table with a sorrowful, sympathetic expression. "Poor Collin." She whispered.

Harry followed her line of sight to the boy picking at his food a few seats down; frowning he looked back at his friend. "What's wrong with Collin?"

Hermione looked up at him like he'd just asked the stupidest question in the history of stupid questions. "There was a Death Eater attack yesterday." She informed him loftily as she shoved a copy of the Daily Prophet into his hands.

Harry could feel guilt and unease coiling in his stomach at the reminder. He hadn't told Ron or Hermione what had happened at Diagon Alley, but it looked like it didn't matter.

_Death Eaters in Diagon Alley_

_By Rita Skeeter_

Harry skimmed the article until he found a casualties list. Over twenty people died and Mr. and Mrs. Creevey were at the top of the list.

"That's not all." Hermione stated primly, "Collin's younger brother had gone with them, an early birthday present I believe, and he hasn't returned yet."

The guilt that had been festering within him reared it's head, threatening to swallow him whole.

He wished more then ever that Snape had not whisked him away from the attack. He could have done something; he could have saved them!

Harry's hand clenched into a fist and he stared down at his plate with blank eyes, his appetite gone.

"I'll see you guys in class." He said abruptly, raising to his feet. His new boots clicked loudly on the stone floor as he left, but most people didn't noticed, too caught up in their own lives. That didn't mean everyone was oblivious to his departure. He could feel a number of eyes on him as he exited the room. Ron and Hermione's stares were sure to be full of concern. Dumbledore's was a blend of worry and (surprisingly) confusion that weighed heavily on his shoulders. Snape's gaze was blank, but there. Yet Malfoy was the one he felt the strongest, his eyes bore into him with the interest of a hunter.

Harry paused in the doorway, ignoring all the eyes boring into him, to glance back at his table. His eyes slid from figure to figure, noting the expressions of loss and confusion on more then one face.

Why hadn't he noticed it sooner? What kind of person was he? What kind of Guardian let this happen?

Collin wasn't the only one suffering. Neville Longbottom was also pushing his food around his plate and Lavender Brown looked close to tears.

Slowly Harry's eyes moved to encompass the entire Hall. Every single table held such burdens of pain, and quite a few seats were empty. Why hadn't he seen it before?

Troubled, Harry fled the Great Hall and slipped outside to think.

His wandering feet led him to the lake, just outside the forbidden forest. There he sank heavily to the ground and stared at the water. What was he going to do? He couldn't let this go on; he knew that. But what could he do about it?

'_There's nothing you can do about it just yet, Child. Your power hasn't even begun to manifest.'_ Startled not only by the voice, but the gentle nudge to his shoulder, Harry glanced up into endless pools of shadow. The voice was familiar, but he couldn't see who had spoken…unless…

"You're the Unicorn Maiden from the other night." It was not quite a question; but a slight nod answered him anyway.

'_We're only granted human form on the new moon, that does not mean we lose any of our powers.'_

"Am I going to turn into a Unicorn too?" He asked before he even knew he had a question to ask.

The unicorn before him gave an odd sort of whinny that made the silvery spots all over his body tingle pleasantly and a warm wash of power spread downward from his horn at the light chuckle that sounded through his mind.

"_You have no need to worry about that, young Prince, you are not in danger of being locked into any one form. You are not held by our curse and will be able to shift as easily as you fly."_

Harry ignored that for the moment and focused on something else, "Is that why your like that? A curse? I thought you controlled the core of magic, why can't you change back?"

'_We only control parts of the magical core and Each Maiden controls a separate part. The curse we are under can only be broken by the core's magic as a whole, and while we can group our powers together, we cannot combine them."_

Harry was frowning again, it just didn't seem fair. A lot of things didn't seem fair lately. "Who put the curse on you anyway?" He paused briefly as his mind unearthed a better question, "Why would someone put that kind of curse on you?"

"_That, Child, is not a story for this morning. I will tell it to you another day. Now, tell me what bothers your mind and I will seek to ease it." The unicorn laid down beside him and he leaned against her as he thought._

"You know." He began at last, "The wizarding world is rather stupid. They like to think their so far above the rest of the world, then they go and do something dumb -like placing their future in my hands. Not only do I know next to nothing about magic, but I'm only 16!" Harry's voice rose steadily as he ranted, only to be punctuated by a bitter laugh, "You want to know what's really messed up?" He continued in a softer tone, "I actually believe them.

"Sure, part of me is amazed by everyone's stupidity, but a larger part of me feels obligated to save them. Like it's my _job_ to protect everyone. And the most frustrating part of all is that this part of me keeps growing. The feelings keep getting stronger and harder to ignore."

He let it all out in a long breath as he eyes closed, "And now I feel like I've failed them. I should have stopped them, saved them-but I couldn't…I didn't.

"I just don't know what to do anymore." He ended on a shaky breath.

A nudge in the side caused him to look back up, _"That's what we're here for, my Prince. We'll guide you and protect you to the best of our abilities. But don't worry, even the Guardian needs someone to watch over him. Your Dragon will give you your shelter. Be patient for he is coming." _Another firm nudge urged him to his feet _'We'll talk again later, right now your late for class."_

"What?!" With a quick glance at his watch Harry confirmed the Maiden's words. Cursing under his breath he took off in a run back to the castle.

* * *

**_So, what do you all think of Hunter? Any idea's of who he is and what his future role in the story will be? (I love listening to your idea's, expecially when they give me idea's)_**

**_Now please_**

**_Review!_**


	9. The Betrayal

**_Well, here's the next chapter. I must admitt, I'm really happy with this story and it's reviews. You are all so wonderful. _**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (He belongs to Draco Malfoy...and vice versa(sp))_**

* * *

**_The Unicorn Prince_**

**_Chapter 9: _**

**_The Betrayal _**

The darkness of night had a fondness for playing tricks on one's senses. So it came as no real surprise that it was in a place festering with shadows seeming to crawl and writhe in some sick imitation of life, that the letter had directed him. He wasn't even surprised to find himself with company as he exited the safety of Hogwarts walls.

He simply met the other's blank eyes with a similarly dead expression, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and carried on out the door.

The path they had been instructed to take wound through the Forbidden Forest. Often times the thin moonlight guiding their steps vanished all together; forcing them to continue in complete darkness.

It wasn't long before the complete lack of sound rang loudly in his ears, and his eyes darted from shadow to shadow, wide with a fear he had no control over.

The path at last opened up into a clearing, moonlight shown eerily on the half circle formation of stones lining the clearing.

At the very peak of the arch were two figures. One lounged against a particularly tall stone, while the other sat, comfortably perched, on a similar stone. Both figures were dressing in black robes with hooded cloaks obscuring their forms. A bone while skull mask peaked from beneath the shadows of their hoods, declaring them to be Death Eaters.

"You're both here, good. I'm sure my…guests…will be happy you cooperated." The cloaked figure leaning against the stone drawled, his voice unrecognizably muffled beneath the mask. "One of you will follow me; the other will remain with my companion for your instructions." With an elaborate swirl of his cloak, the Death Eater walked into the forest surrounding them.

With an unspoken agreement they stepped forward to accept their instructions. One fell short of the Death Eater perched on the stone; the other disappeared into the black forest surrounding them.

Fifteen minutes later the boy returned from his meeting with the first Death Eater, just in time to see the other apparate away.

He stopped in front of the other boy and they stared at each other for a moment in silence.

"We should start tonight." The boy said in a soft voice, as if afraid to awaken the forest.

The other boy nodded, his face grim, "Best get this over with." He agreed.

They stayed there for a moment longer before starting back towards the school.

As they left one shadow detached itself from the rest, moving into the semi circle of stones. His eyes were fixed on the disappearing figures. Once they were out of sight his eyes, the same radiance of the moon, lifted towards the sky.

"And so it begins." He intoned, a wicked smile curving his lips, "Dragon, my Dragon, this will be the beginning of your end. Will you loose your precious Prince so soon? Or will I get the chance to play with him too?"

He blinked slowly, his sharp ears picking up a slight sound within the forest, to which he returned his eyes. "Now, to return to my hunt." His smile turned feral and his eyes gleamed in fiendish delight as he replaced his hood over white-gold hair.

Meanwhile, two forms stole back into the castle and up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. Before long they were standing in the pale light lofting from the window at the end of one of the five beds in the room.

A small figure lay curled on his side under a brand new blanket, sleeping the first peaceful sleep he'd had in days.

The two boys hardened their hearts against the sight, they had no choice; they had to do this.

"Hold the curtains back while I cast the first spell." The younger of the two instructed, taking out his wand and closing his eyes in thought.

When he opened them a new wall of determination had been erected behind his eyes. He barely whispered the spell the Death Eater had taught him.

It was one of four spells he would have to cast, and it would have to be done a total of three times. The Death Eater hadn't told him what the spells would do when combined, but he had explained their main purposes.

This first spell was a stabilizer, it would be the foundation the other spells and potions would build on, and it would root them down firmly in the target's mind.

The next spell he'd be even more vague about, saying only that it would make it so the 'curse' would only effect their Target, and no one else.

The Death Eater had tried to explain what the third spell was for, but he hadn't understood.

And the fourth spell was easy enough to recognize, it was a variation of a locking spell.

After the first round of the foundation spell had been cast, it was the other boy's turn.

The first boy held the bed curtains open as the other boy moved forward. First he set a vial on the bedside table, and then crawled onto the bed next to their victim.

With trembling fingers he unbuttoned the sleeping figure's nightshirt, and then peeled it away from the slight chest. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper with a number of carefully sketched runes on it.

Next he picked up the discarded vial and pulled out the stopper. Careful not to touch the potion, the boy dipped a small stick into the clear solution; then carefully copied the runes onto the smaller figure's chest, neck, and forehead. At last he spread it generously over the sleeping teen's eyes before returning the vial to his pocket. "Wait two minutes before casting your next spell." He whispered, trying to ignore his trembling.

Once their jobs were done for the night, they redid the figures nightshirt, closed the curtain, and then slipped back into their own beds. Both tried not to let their guilt overwhelm them After all, it wasn't their fault. They had no choice.

The wind playing in your hair and curling around you like giant fingers of a protective hand was simply amazing. He knew he was safe when he was in the air, just as he heard the moonsong every night, sighing it's enchantment over the earth; weaving it's drams into peoples minds and hearts.

He was so engrossed in his spiraling dance he failed to notice his audience right off.

When he finally did notice, he slowed down and cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

The figure was familiar, but Harry couldn't quite put his finger on their identity, although it tickled the back of his mind. "I know you." He announced as he landed in front of the figure.

The figure smiled at him warmly, before he reached out and pulled Harry towards him. "Of course you do, I'm always with you." The moment Harry felt those arms twine around him; all he wanted to do was melt. It felt so right, being there.

But that wasn't what he was supposed to be doing; he should be flying at the moment. Pulling back he looked into his companion's face, wishing it wasn't so blurry. "You want to fly with me?" He asked hopefully.

"Forever, love." The figure breathed, taking his Firebolt from him and mounting it.

Harry climbed on after him, wrapping his arms around the man's slim waist and burying his face in the strong back before him. Then they were soaring, twisting through the sky like birds.

Harry came awake regretfully that morning; he wanted to stay pressed to that strong back, drinking in the feeling of being so close to that figure who was oh-so familiar.

Harry burrowed further under his new blankets, relishing the warm, silky texture of sphinx fur against his exposed flesh. The new bedding had come the night before, two hours before curfew. Ron had given him an odd look, but hadn't said anything.

Yawning widely, Harry sat up, his new blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders. The rest of the dorm was coming to life slowly and before long he was the only one still in bed, watching everyone with heavy lidded eyes.

He paid close attention to Neville. The boy was thinner then he should be, and moved sluggishly. Harry also noticed the definite tremble in his hands. He was hunched over and refused to meet anyone's eyes.

Harry felt his heart twist painfully. He should have noticed sooner that the boy was in such turmoil. What kind of friend was he anyway? Obviously not a very good one.

He'd try to make up for it, though. He'd do whatever he could to see his friend smile again. Sadly, he had a feeling this might be harder then it sounded.

Neville was the first one to leave the room, not having said a word to anyone. Harry's concerned green eyes followed him out the door to where he disappeared down the stairs.

"Hey, Harry. You gonna get dressed mate?" Ron's voice pulled him back, and he blinked up at his taller friend. Slowly he unwound from his bed, not wanting to part from the welcoming warmth or the temptation to go back to sleep and spend more hours in the company (read as: arms) of his mysterious dream lover.

"I suppose." He agreed reluctantly, covering a wide yawn with his hand.

"Didn't get much sleep last night?" Ron asked in concern, having noticed Harry's ear splitting yawn.

Harry shrugged as he began unbuttoning his nightshirt. "I slept wonderfully for once; I just wish I didn't need to wake up yet." He admitted with a sheepish smile.

Ron chuckled in understanding just as three heavily burdened owls started to attack the closed window.

"My clothes!" Harry exclaimed, leaping over his bed to get to the window in his excitement.

Everyone in the room watched, amazed, as parcel after parcel landed on Harry's bed. "Merlin, Harry!" Ron exclaimed in disbelief, "What did you do? Buy the whole bloody store?"

Harry glanced up at his best friend through a veil of ebony bangs. He didn't like the tone of voice Ron had used, and he wasn't too fond of the expression on his face either.

"Not that it's any of your business, Ronald." He began coolly, "But I had a whole wardrobe that needed to be replaced. The rest of my order should be here tomorrow morning."

"There's more?" Seamus asked in disbelief, and Harry's eyes narrowed slightly.

"First the custom made Sphinx fur blanket, and now this?" Ron gestured to the packages littering Harry's bed, "Watch it Harry, we don't need _another Malfoy_ around here, one's bad enough."

Harry's eyes widened and it felt like someone had clenched a hand around his heart and twisted, as he watched his once-again-jealous best friend stock out of the room in a fit.

A hand landing on his shoulder caused him to jump and look up into Seamus' sympathetic face, "Don't let it get to you, Harry. He didn't really mean it."

"Yeah, in a few days he'll realize what an absolute git he's being." Dean added.

Harry gave them a wavery smile to show he was okay and watched them walk out, too.

Harry's smile disappeared when they were gone and he looked back at the packages lying innocently on his new bedspread. The bitter taste of anger and pain tainted his once excited exuberance.

Why did Ron have to spoil everything? It wasn't fair that he got so jealous.

Ron had two parents who loved him and would do anything for him. He had six wonderful siblings, and who knows how many other family members not located at the Burrow. What did a few galleons matter when compared to that? Didn't he realize that Harry would give up everything in his Gringotts vault to experience what Ron had every day, for even one hour.

And now he couldn't even enjoy the high of new clothes for the first time in his life. It just wasn't fair!

Pushing the building resentment away, Harry quickly got dressed and headed down to the Great Hall.

He froze with his hand on the door to the Hall and cocked his head to the side as if listening.

His heart was hammering against his chest like a humming bird's winds against restraining hands; and he could feel something-his magic!-urging him to leave the castle. Something wasn't right.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

And whatever it was, it was in his forest.

Shaking his head of the strange thoughts, Harry pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Instantly he was conscious of the multiple pairs of eyes focusing on him; following him like a spotlight. He ignored the chills the sensation f being watched so closely gave him, and walked over to the Gryffindor table.

He walked passed a glaring Ron and an exasperated Hermione, and sat next to Neville instead.

"Hey Neville." He said in a low voice, forcing Neville to acknowledge his presence. The poor boy jumped and looked at him, as if startled that someone was paying attention to him - which made Harry feel even worse. "How are you holding up?"

The bigger boy tried to smile, but it was strained, and his eyes kept darting away, "About as well as can be expected, Harry." He muttered in a soft voice that had Harry straining to hear.

"Well, if you want to hand out later-" He trailed off ass Neville shook his head.

"No thanks Harry, I'd rather be by myself."

"Oh…" Harry said, completely thrown, "I-I understand. If…If you change your mind…" He trailed off awkwardly, he cheeks glowing slightly with embarrassment. He felt like such an idiot. Of course Neville would rather be alone.

Not sure what else to do, he slowly started eating. The strange pull of his magic was still tugging in the back of his mind.

Draco had an uneasy feeling all morning; it was slowly driving him mad, and making him jumpy.

Brushing his hair this morning had been extremely disturbing for the young Seer because his eyes kept shifting from silver, to milky white, then back again. As if his magic was preparing for a vision; only to decide it wasn't going to happen. It was a distinctly disturbing sight.

He'd taken great pains to avoid everyone's eyes all morning, and he could only hope they would return to normal before he was discovered.

His feeling of unease followed him to breakfast, where his attention was immediately caught up as Potter strolled in. What he saw had him blinking in surprise.

Potter was…flickering.

That was the only word he could think of to describe it. One second Potter looked normal, he'd he'd have a horn and the other exotic features Draco had noticed earlier. Then it would all disappear, only to return a few moments later.

No one else in the Hall seemed to think this was odd. The only person _really _paying attention was Professor Dumbledore. The frown on the Headmaster's face had Draco's stomach rolling unpleasantly.

Returning his eyes to Potter, Draco couldn't help but notice his sense of unease increase. He had a feeling whatever it was he sensed was wrong, it had something to do with Potter.

**_So, what do you think? Good chapter? Any idea's, suspisions, questions..._**

**_Please feel free to:_**

**_Review!_**


	10. Goodbye

**__**

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

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**_Disclaimer: I don't o_****_wn Harry Potter_**

* * *

**_The Unicorn Prince_**

**_Chapter 10: Goodbye_**

Dumbledore sat at the head table partaking in the newly fashionable passed time of Harry-watching. While he suspected most people were admiring the boy's fair looks; this was far from his own reasons they could be polar opposites.

Something strange was going on, and as any good teacher had learned, anything odd happening around the castle could be easily traced back to the Potter boy.

He wasn't exactly sure how the young Gryffindor tied into things this time around, but it was only a matter of time before things cleared up.

Hopefully it wouldn't take very long to find what that influx of magic he had felt the other night meant. Maybe he would be able to puzzle out why he was missing hours on the most important night of the month: the new moon.

Dumbledore did not make a habit of forgetting things; just because he was getting on in years did not mean he was growing senile. It had to be some strong magic because no simple obliviate could have this sort of effect on him, especially on a night like that, when wild magic pulsed barely under the surface and so sweetly calling-begging- to be used.

He'd figured it out soon enough, all he had to do was wait and watch. Hopefully he'd be able to see what was coming ahead of time and be able to prepare for or counter whatever it was.

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

Night was still in the Tower as the two boy's met at the base of the stairs to finish their task.

Neither wanted to be the one to take that first step up the staircase, yet both knew they had no choice. They had chosen their path the night the owls came.

"Let's get this over with." The older boy said, gathering what little courage he had left to start walking. How he wished he was more brave, maybe then he wouldn't have to do this.

No, if he was braver he would have told a teacher what was going on. Or, even better, He would have rescued her himself!

That was what Harry would have done.

But he wasn't Harry, and he wasn't brave. He would do what he was told, then crawl under a rock where he could wallow in self-pity in peace.

For now the boy led the way up the dark stairs, his heart like lead in his chest.

The room, too, was dark. The silence was broken only by the violent, almost random, snores emerging from one of the beds.

The two boy's slipped down to the bed from the night before, ignoring all else. The elder reached out to pull the hangings apart, inwardly marveling over the rich new fabric.

Another eternity passed as they stared at the figure on the bed. He was lying on his side tonight, curled into a small ball, his head tilted slightly causing his hair to fan over his pillow, an inky black on crimson sheets. His skin was so pale and soft looking it was easy to imagine the boy was glowing. He just looked so…

"He looks so Innocent." The other person breathed in a whispery voice.

That was all he needed to break the spell. Shaking his head he stepped back, "Just get on with it." He grunted.

The smaller teen obediently moved forward, his wand already at work.

After the incantation had been cast it was his turn again. He pulled a salve out of his pocket and began gently moving his fingers in feather-light circles over the boy's throat. Then he traced a line across the boy's nose from one cheek to the other. At last he completed the markings by etching a rune into the boy's forehead, right between his eyebrows, under his mark.

He paused for a moment when he thought he had brushed against something hard with his knuckles. But there was nothing there, just hair and a prominent scar, so he shrugged it off as his imagination.

The other boy started casting another spell while he unstoppered the last potion and forced it between the boy's lips.

He eased the potion down his friend's throat by stroking his exposed neck. At last he removed himself to the background to watch the final stage.

The other boy cast one more spell; completing their task by pressing his want to their victim's temple.

All the runes he had etched onto the boy's pale skin the night before burned white-hot and the body arched off the bed.

The other boy stumbled backward into him and they both watched wide eyed and afraid, as the boy writhed in agony.

Afraid the boy would cry out, he quickly cast a silencing charm and pushed the other boy from the room before returning to his own bed.

He had to force himself not to look at the boy tossing in obvious pain just feet from him. There wasn't anything he could do about it now. It was done.

**_hpdmhpdmhp_**

He needn't have bothered with a silencing charm. Harry had long since learned the art of silent screaming. It just wouldn't do to wake the Dursley's with his night terrors, and he would feel guilty to keep his friends up with his screaming.

Not that this was anything like his ventures into Voldemort's mind, as painful as that could be.

No, this was worse.

Harry's new body was fighting back against the invading magic, his reaction having been delayed by a clever spell meant to disguise the magic, temporarily as his on. At the same time it had also weaved the foreign elements so deeply with his own magic that it was impossible to untangle alone.

The moment the wand came in contact with his horn, the illusion shattered, exposing the true benevolent nature of the spells and potions.

By then it was too late. Harry's magic raced like fire through his veins and through the forest of his mind, trying to cleans him of the invading substances. Pain laced his thoughts and scorched his flesh, making the boy writhe and twist on his mattress.

But the magic was too deep The foundation spells and anchoring runes had done their job, and Harry finally settled down. Soaked with sweat and trembling, he slipped into a dreamless slumber.

As his mind, body, and magic worked on repairing itself, the potions and enchantments had time to work, as they were no longer having to fight him.

As plans were set in motion inside the supposed safety of the castle walls, the creatures in the forest were restless; some were downright frightened.

Something that did not belong in the forest had appeared; something that posed a threat to any magical creature.

The current target of this fiend was a small, sunshine-gold ;creature. Impossibly large garnet orbs shone bright with terror as it flitted rapidly through the trees, darting under branches and through thick brambles in a desperate bid for freedom.

The poor creature's stalker was the best. Trained in stealth and speed, he tailed his quarry unerringly, thrilling in the creatures blind fear as well as the high of the hunt itself.

This little treasure had eluded him for far too long; leading him on a merry little chase far from it's nest and any nearby sanctuary's that may have gotten in his way.

That the Hunt brought him to Hogwarts was an added bonus. Sure, he saw Blaise every night, but the distance was always a strain on his powers.

It was about time to finish this Hunt, it was becoming a bore. The bird was getting predictable.

From the small, bottomless pouch tied onto his belt he withdrew a carefully pieced together net he had made himself. He shook it out as he ran nimbly through the foliage, the magical strands gleaming in the faint moonlight.

From there it was a simple act to get in front of the young bird and send his net flying.

Even the perfect reflexes and high speeds of the bird could not protect it from the veil-like trap. It's delicate wings couldn't move under it's pressure, and without their support the creature was sent spiraling backwards.

The hunter wasn't overly concerned about his trophies wellbeing. He had cast more then enough charms on the net to protect it from any damage, and besides, it was worth just as much to him dead as it was alive.

Triumphantly he strode forward to collect his prize, only to come up short as a ghostly blur barreled into his path, impeding any advancement he had in mind.

He quickly withdrew his diamond edged dagger and took a defensive stance when he found himself at the deadly point of a protective unicorn's horn.

H sneered at the creature, not at all displeased with this new development. His original prey was going nowhere anytime soon, and unicorn's had an annoying habit of avoiding him. This would be easy money.

The magnificent beast pawed the ground and tossed it's head. It's beautifully spiraled horn caught the moonlight and practically _glowed_.

Out of all the creatures he'd Hunted, Unicorns would remain his favorite. There was nothing like watching that silvery blood leak out onto the ground and stain his hands; the warmth lasted far longer than normal crimson blood and had such powers he could practically smell the money coming off it.

Hunter darted forward, slashing at the creature, who shied away from the blade. This brought a crazed grin to the boy's lips. Unicorns _hated_ confrontation.

He switched his dagger for his wand in one movement, and with a muttered spell, send a barrage of small pebbles panting towards the animal. She reared back, hoping that would help.

This was just what he'd been waiting for. With a violent wave and downward slashing motion of his wand he was able to render this beauty immobile. Vines shot from all sides, wrapping like thick ropes around her neck and legs-front and back. More twisted around her belly and even more found her horn.

The unicorn fought valiantly, trying to buck and twist. She put all her weight on the vines, whinnying and baying desperately. But she could do nothing, suspended in the air as she was.

Hunter stored his wand away again and brought his blade back out. A simple slash across her jugular brought forth a rainfall of warm silver blood to taint the night.

Harry hadn't been asleep for long before he was dragged back to conciseness once more.

The unease from before had quadrupled, it's overwhelming urgency leaving him immobile for an eternity of endless moments, before he bolted from his bed. He paid no mind to the prickle of needles on his face, arms, stomach and thighs as he shattered a spell that had been cast over his bed. He didn't pause to slip on shoes, nor retrieve a cloak from his trunk.

He dashed through the castle and over the grounds. He was in the forest before he was even aware that's where he was going.

Once he was in the trees it hit him like Hagrid's boarhound: Something evil was in his forest harming his people.

He never had to think of where he was going, he simply followed the core of angry magic.

The scene he came upon had his blood running cold. Directly in front of him stood a man, dressing in all black robes of a style Harry had never seen before. He was facing away from Harry, his head hidden from view by some type of veil. He was wearing a belt of some sort with multiple straps, holsters, and bags attached to it, and above that was a blaring symbol on the ebony expanse of cloth. It was in the form of a phoenix and a dragon, combined into a circle. Both creatures were snapping at each other and encased in flames. The dragon was a deep emerald green surrounded in red flames, and the phoenix was it's opposite.

Once he had seen his fill of the strangers back, he was able to focus on the horror of what he had done.

It was a unicorn; and it was dead. Murdered. Silvery blood was everywhere, a grotesque testament of the evil committed that night.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my forest?" Harry didn't care about the first question and the second was rather obvious, but he felt like he should say something.

The stranger spun to meet him, dagger raised before him defensively, soaked in defiled-innocence. Behind him, the Unicorn's body began to shrink, bringing a dead weight to lay on Harry's heart with his realization of just what this man had done.

The strangers, after having caught sight of Harry's expression, glanced over his shoulder in a mildly curious manner.

Harry couldn't see the other man's face, but he was positive that when he turned back around he was grinning smugly.

Harry's eyes narrowed and he charged forward thoughtlessly. "Monster!" He growled as he went to tackle him, only to see him _evaporate_ before contact.

"We'll play another time young Prince." The words were whispered into his ear as he came to a stop, making him shiver.

Great, just what he needed, another crazy stalker.

He wasn't given long to brood on that as he caught full sight of the Unicorn's body.

It was the Maiden from before, the one who always spoke to him. She was strung up like some sort of sick puppet. Most of her hair was gone, her horn had been sawed off, and Harry knew without looking that her eyes, too, had been taken. Her clothes were torn and barely more then rags, but worst of all was the fact that she had been skinned.

Harry sank to his knees in front of her dangling body, mindless of the silvery blood on his robes, and the tears running rivers down his cheeks.

"No…" he murmured, "No, no, no, no."

Movement to his right had him glancing over. Walking towards him with amazing silence was the second largest horse Harry had ever seen, (the largest being Madam Maxime's horses in his fourth year) It was almost a third larger than normal horses, and twice as big as a unicorn. It had a beautiful dark grayish blue pelt and a black mane and tail. It moved slowly as if afraid to approach, and in it's mouth swung some sort of net bag.

The horse stopped in front of him, waiting almost expectantly for him to take the net. He was surprised when it spoke, it's voice deep and full of sorrow. "I tried to stop her, my Prince, but she wouldn't listen. Illian could never stand to see another in pain, and insisted n rescuing the little one. I am sorry I failed." Then to Harry's further surprise the horse bowed it's front quarters, lowering it's head to the dirt in front of him.

The net he was holding was moving ever so slightly now. Vaguely curious, despite the aching whole in his heart, Harry pulled back the edges of the net.

Emerald eyes widened in surprised as they took in the quivering mass of feathers in his lap. He recognized it immediately, of course. It was a Snidget!

He'd seen pictures of them in his copy of Quiditch through the Ages, but he'd never thought he'd actually see one.

"Shh…your safe now." he murmured quietly s he trailed two fingers over the small creature's back. Warmth spread from his horn to his fingertips, pouring over the bird in calming waves. The adorable thing ceased it's trembling and cooed adoringly, leaning into his touch. This brought a small smile to Harry's lips.

Sadly it didn't last long, as his eyes glued back onto Illian's figure. He rose on shaky legs, and began pulling vines away, cradling the snidget in one hand.

He swallowed hard as the body collapsed limply on the muddy pathway. "What should we do now?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it, my prince. We'll take care of it." A new voice, this time obviously female, said from his left. He finally glanced up, only to find himself surrounded by more Unicorns. Wile some were maidens, others were normal unicorns, and Harry was surprised to realize he could tell them apart.

The large horse from before butted his shoulder gently, "You need rest, My prince. Return to your castle. You can return later."

Harry nodded, he was tired. Before he left he bent down and kissed the broken horn, "Thank you Illian."

* * *

**_Review!_**


	11. The Basilio Magiknos

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

_**Basilio Magiknos: Magical Kingdom. **_

_**Minimos: grounder**_

_**Magkeri: a type of magical candle (from Greece) **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**_

_**

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_**Chapter 11: Basilio Magiknos**_

Harry was halfway back to the castle before the reality of the night finally hit him.

He'd been traveling through the forest in a daze with shock, nothing around him was important enough to notice. Not the Snidget tagging along, or the eyes that trailed after him in the shadows, or the protective guardian tracking his every step.

Everything had happened so fast. One minute everything was relatively normal in his life, and in a matter of moments his only stable foot had been knocked out from under him. Sure he was irritated with what had happened, but it wasn't Illian's fault he was a unicorn. And even if he was hesitant to talk to her at the moment, he would have eventually.

She was so nice, he'd never known anyone like her, not Mrs. Weasley, not Tonks or Professor McGonagall, and certainly not Aunt Petunia. She'd had an…aura of peace and love surrounding her. Just remembering the night he'd met her woke a longing in him he'd thought long gone. He ached to be held, to be loved.

A lone tear trailed down his cheek, and not just for the lost Unicorn Maiden. No, this single tear held all the pain and loss and _longing_ he held in him. He found himself wishing his mother could hold him, comfort him; but he knew that was impossible. She was dead too.

And what was worse was the gnawing sensation near his heart.

It was his _job_ to protect Illian, and he had failed. This wasn't his first failure either. He'd also failed at the attack in Diagon Alley. What good was a prince if he couldn't protect his subjects?

Harry was shaking slightly now, his fists clenched at his sides and he clenched his jaws together, determination washing through his veins.

It wouldn't happen again. He'd make sure of it. He'd protect every single one of his people from suffering the same fate as Illian. As his mother.

But even as the vow echoed through his soul his weariness pushed it aside. With every step he took his eyelids seemed to grow ten times heavier, and his feet began to drag.

He was vaguely surprised when he found himself sinking into the heavenly cocoon that was his bed. He didn't even have the strength to take off his shoes before slumber took him.

The small jeweled eyes of the beautiful bird he'd rescued watched him from her new perch on the crimson colored pillow. She blinked once at him before hiding her head in her sun kissed feathers and finding sleep herself.

_**Dmhpdmhpdm**_

_Harry had been starting a dream where he was back at the Dursley's working in the flower garden when he woke up a small fairy sleeping in the sun on the soft petals of a snow white tulip. He was trying to apologize when the bloody thing _bit_ him! The pain of the bite was not felt in his finger, but centered in his very heart. _

_He didn't get much farther in that dream before everything went all topsy-turvy on him. The colors all began to bleed together and it seemed his world was beginning to melt. He was only mildly concerned until he felt the tugging (not unlike that of a portkey). He'd just begun to panic when he found himself in a familiar setting. The calming magic of his garden started to take effect immediately, easing the anguish he felt even as he slept._

_He glanced around and instantly pinpointed the man from before. _

_A large smile broke out across Harry's face, he couldn't say why, but seeing the man made Harry's heart grow and he was afraid his chest wouldn't be able to contain it much longer._

_He couldn't see it, but he just knew his companion was smiling as he took Harry's hand and pulled Harry down to sit on the grass beside him, "You kept me waiting, love."_

_"Did I?" Harry inquired in bemusement, "I hadn't known we were to meet again." for some reason it didn't bother him at all when the other boy used the endearment for him, it felt…right._

_"Oh yes, love. We should be meeting every night." he didn't explain further, but Harry found he needed no further explanation than that._

_A gentle hand on his shoulder urged him to lay down. He did so, resting his head in the other's lap and feeling his body relax further as the waking world and all his problems drifted further and further away._

_His eyes slid closed and he relished the feeling of those wondrous fingers as they carded through his hair._

_"You're so tense, love." The voice above him murmured, sending a wave of belonging over the reclining boy. "So many responsibilities lie on your shoulder's. You don't need to worry about any of that, love. Not while you're here, with me."_

_And Harry believed him; it was such a sweet thing he was promising, after all. Just a few hours peace couldn't be bad, could it?_

_**Hpdmhpdmhp**_

Ron Weasley was a very heavy sleeper. This was a well known fact throughout Gryffindor Tower. Every morning was the same: Harry Potter would wake up bright and early (courtesy of his aunt Petunia's insistence that he rise with the sun and have breakfast on the table by the time everyone else crawled out of bed) and he always woke Ron so they would have plenty of time to get to breakfast.

But with Harry's new sleeping habits there was no one to wake Ron up, not without getting clobbered to death by an irate, sleepy redhead.

So it would be fairly reasonable to assume Ronald Weasley would panic when he woke up to discover he had slept through breakfast and there was only minutes before classes started for the day.

"Harry! Wake up, we're going to be late." The gangly boy screeched as he tore open his best friends bed curtains. The boy yin the bed made and unintelligible sound and flopped over, sinking his face into his pillow.

"Come on, Harry, we don't have any time to waste, wake up!" A hand roughly started shaking the sleeping wizard.

"Alright, alright." Harry mumbled, shoving a pillow at his annoying best friend to get him to stop.

Ron let the pillow drop onto the floor, his mind now on getting dressed since Harry was finally awake.

Harry pushed himself up on his hands and knees and stared down at his bed with haze filed emerald eyes.

Harry sat back and watched his red headed friend run around the room like a chicken with It's head chopped off. With one last call to hurry up, Ron was gone, leaving Harry alone in the dorm room.

Harry stared at the doorway for a few, blank moments. At length he decided he should probably get up as well.

So, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the Unicorn Prince, pulled himself out of bed. He tried to ignore the biting cold of the stone floor on his bare feet.

_'Why don't they put carpets in the dorms?'_ He mused as he bent down to retrieve his abandoned pillow, only to roan in irritation when he saw the gaping hole in the center and the smooth slash branching out across his brand new pillow. "No way. That is so not cool" he griped to no one in particular.

It was amazing how disemboweling ones soft new pillow tends to wake a person up, because harry was no longer very sleepy, his frustration and annoyance having driven it from his mind.

He tossed the pillow back onto his bed with a mental note to buy a new one after classes.

There was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed, obviously having arrived while he was still sleeping. He picked a couple random boxes and set about getting dressed In their contents.

He pulled on his robe and headed out the door, covering a light yawn with his hand, only to come face to face with his new little friend, the Snidget. The little ball of lemon-hued feathers settled itself onto the boy's horn, with a small chirp for him to continue on his way.

A small smile played on his lips, before a slight frown replaced it. Why did he feel like he was forgetting something?

_**DMHPDMHPDM**_

Draco Malfoy didn't get much sleep that night, he was too busy pouring over his new books (He'd finished all his homework the previous evening).

It was very interesting to read about life in Troy (a purely wizarding kingdom) before it's destruction. There were not many accounts about the great war, and the only reliable source was the muggle Homer's epic poem.

According to Cassandra Trelawney, Helen was a veela princess tricked into marrying the Greek king. Then Paris had down up and 'fallen in love' with her. It wasn't very hard to convince her to run away with him. She was a veela, after all, and everyone knows that veela are being of love, lust and beauty. The king was old and ugly, especially when compared with the handsome young prince, Paris. It wasn't much of a choice for the poor veela.

No one had know it would start a war of such proportions, but it seemed the muggle world needed little encouragement to begin a war with the wizards.

Troy was outnumbered; slaughtered, and left to burn. Only a small group managed to escape, and they lived in hiding for a few hundred years, Cassandra was among those few.

That was the story found in the thickest of Cassandra's journals. The remaining three continued the witches notes. These ranged from potions, to spells, to Seeing.

Draco yearned to begin right away, but his promise to the professor kept him in check.

Unfortunately he couldn't bring his books outside the dorm with him, for fear of someone finding out what he was reading and then that getting back to his father. Even with illusion charms placed over the books, it wasn't fool proof. All someone had to do was try to read one and it would be obvious.

So, Draco left them in his room, tucked safely inside his trunk.

Consequently this left him nothing to do and he often found his eyes (and thoughts) drifting towards a certain black-haired Gryffindor.

The boy-who-lived seemed a little out of it that morning. He was wrapped securely in a slightly heavy robe, designed for cooler weather, and he kept trying to nod off into his breakfast. The boy's jaw breaking yawns were enough to make anyone tired and Draco found himself resisting the urge to yawn as well.

It would never do for a Malfoy to show such a base weakness.

He also noticed that the Gryffindor Golden Boy didn't participate very much in the conversations going on around him, nor did he try very hard in any of the classes they shared. No, the boy was too busy fighting to stay awake to concentrate on something as unimportant as schoolwork.

The sleepy boy's actions weren't going unnoticed by his friends. Weasley kept elbowing his friend to help him stay awake (not that it was making that much of a difference) and the mudblood kept shooting him concerned looks.

Draco almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Finally, after dinner was over, Draco was able to slip away to Trelawney's Tower.

Walking into the room was a bit of a shock. The usually mystical and slightly foggy classroom was completely barren. All the tables and chairs were gone. The walls and ceiling had been stripped of the decorative veils, and the window was, for once, open.

There was one single candle in the middle of the room in front of a Gryffindor Red pillow. On either side of the pillow were incense holders.

The door on the far side of the room opened and Trelawney floated into the room carrying three incense sticks, two of which she placed in the holders on either side of the pillow.

"Well, sit." She instructed, gesturing impatiently at the…unsightly…pillow. Draco hurried to comply, intrigued despite himself.

"What is all this?" He asked while silently wondering if it was even necessary.

"this is to help you ease your way into the Basilio Magiknos." The professor explained. "It is a difficult place to reach, and many people loose their way the first time. Without your Minimos it will be very dangerous. Hopefully the Magkeri will help you in the place of your Minimos."

Draco had read little about the Basilio Magiknos, not many Seers felt inclined to explain it in too much depth. It was a private thing, something most wizards would never even know existed.

Trelawney bent down in front of him to take the candle in her hand and light the wick. She did the same thing on either side of him, although she was lighting the incense instead of a the candle.

"Now, close your eyes." Draco did so, inhaling deeply. As the warm scents of the candle and incense combined and twined around him, something took shape in the darkness.

It was faint, only a hint of light at first. It stemmed from four sources. One directly in front of him, two more rooted to the left and right of him, and the last gliding around him in a steady circle.

The three faintest wisps met the more solid source in front of him to make a sturdy…string. That was the only way to explain it, a _string_ of power.

This string resonated with his very core, urging him forward. Almost without thinking, Draco let himself follow it. He reached out to grab hold of it, letting it slip through his fingers as he moved, following it's straight path through the darkness.

The longer he followed it the darker it became. He could sense something in the darkness with him, that something was vaguely familiar. It soon came into view and he realized the familiarity he felt was because of how similar it was to the string he was currently following.

The second string crossed in front of him, merging with the string he was clutching, before continuing on into the darkness in a different direction.

Draco stared at the spot the two strings merged to become momentarily one. He wasn't sure why they had done that, nor what would happen if he touched the spot, so he carefully avoided it, then moved further into the darkness, making sure to follow _his_ string.

As he traveled through the darkness, more strings began to emerge. Some lingered and followed a path similar to the one he traversed, others vanished into the darkness without making any sort of contact at all.

Soon he was surrounded by a multitude of strings. They arched above and below him, stretching into the darkness in a massive web. Every time two would brush, a merging would happen, but it was always brief and the two would continue in their different directions.

The string he still held vibrated. The next instant Draco felt himself falling, as if the world around him had been tipped onto it's axis. Surprisingly he hit no strings as he fell, his fingers still trailing down the string he had followed.

When the string vanished, Draco was once again in the classroom on the floor. Draco stared up at his teacher, "That was…amazing." he admitted, his awe overpowering his Malfoy mannerisms.

Trelawney nodded, removing the lump of melted wax and wasted ashes with a wave of her wand. 'I'm' sure it was, now, tell me about what you saw." Even in her serious state, her voice had a misty quality to it, but her eyes were unusually sharp as she hung on his every word like it was the elixir of life.

As Draco explained about the giant web of strings he'd been surrounded by, Trelawney was nodding, "Do you understand what it is you were seeing?" She asked, an eager edge in her voice that he never imagined her to possess.

Draco opened his mouth, then hesitated. With a shake of his head he admitted his lack of understanding.

The divination professor grinned dreamily, "I had thought not. Young Malfoy, what you have just witnessed is magic in it's most basic form. Each string you saw represented a different being, a different source, if you will. Most sources of magic have a living core. Wizard, dragons, and certain plants are examples of such sources. Other strings root from non living sources, such as wands, potions, and be-spelled items, although the magic from these is considerably weaker."

Draco nodded, his eyes unfocused as he thought about what she was saying. It made sense, now that he thought about it. It had never really mattered to Draco before, magic was magic. As long as it worked, who cared about anything else.

"Now," the professor continued, "I've never had the honor of visiting Basilio Magiknos, but from what I've read the strings from a living source have a different _feel_ than strings with a non living source."

"As fascinating as this is, I don't se how any of this applies to me. I'm a Seer, remember. I don't deal with magic in that way." Draco interrupted.

Trelawney ignored his rude behavior and answered anyway, "Of course it's important. Those strings are how you enter a vision, but we'll go into that later. Now, you must be careful when traveling through the Basilio Magiknos. Imagine you accidentally slip into a vision based on a non living source, say a potion. Knowing when that potion is going to spill or the bottle shatter, will be an incredible waste of a vision, don't you agree. Each time you have a 'forced vision' as they call it, takes energy. If you use to much, you won't have enough to return and will be lost. Also, it's easy to get lost in a vision, seeing the future can be rather…captivating. That's why it's imperative you find your Minimos as soon as possible."

"Now I want you to try again, only this time I want you to try and find a living string. Try not to touch any place that two or more strings merge, we will need you're Minimos before going into that."

As the witch spoke she summoned another candle and sticks of incense. Draco closed his eyes and instantly began searching for the string he'd followed earlier.

Before he even realized what was happening he was waist deep in strings, the web stretching into the darkness around him.

Draco started on his assignment quickly, reaching toward the nearest string. Surprisingly he felt the string of magic jump under his fingers.

Curious, Draco began to inspect it more closely. The string was made up of a pale pink…light. That was the only word he could think of to explain the string, which was made of pure magical energy if Professor Trelawney was to be believed.

The string was pulsing faintly, and twisting in his light grasp.

The string merged with another string further down. As much as Draco wanted to inspect the merge, he resisted. Instead, he turned his attention to the other string involved.

This string was a pale smoky color and didn't buck when he touched it. It pulsed, just like the other, but it was faint.

He thought he might know which string had the living source.

Returning this time wasn't quite as startling. Somehow he could sense the direction he needed to go.

Careful not to disturb the web around him, Draco waded his way back to consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, a truly frightening sight greeted him. The professors face was less then a foot from him.

"That, child, was incredibly stupid." She announced, straightening, "What if you had become lost, or accidentally slipped into a vision. There would have been nothing I could do to bring you back without you're Minimos."

Draco stared at her in confusion, "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything wrong, I even know the difference between a living source and non living now." He snapped.

The glare the professor leveled at him was decidedly frightening, especially coming from this particular professor, "You idiot Child! You entered the Basilio Magiknos without the aid of the Magkeri!"

"But that's a good thing. That means I don't need it." Draco didn't see how that could be a problem, he hadn't even known he had left before the candle lit until she had pointed it out.

"It most definitely _not_ a good thing, Mr. Malfoy. The Magkeri is the only way I have of bringing you back to you're body. Without it to guide you, you could very easily get confused. The Basilio Magiknos is not like our world, Draco. There are…levels involved. You have barely touched on the first of many. Layers upon layers of magic course through the world, you haven't even been outside this room yet."

"What do you mean?"

"That web you saw was the lowest, least complex web within the Basilio Magiknos. That web represented the basic set up of _this_ room." The implications of what she was saying had Draco's head spinning. If that was all the magic in this room, and only in this room…

"You have a long way to go, Draco, and we can only do so much without you're Minimos with us. I want you to promise me you will not attempt to enter Basilio Magiknos again without the aid of the Magkeri _and_ myself." Draco nodded to her once before retreating back to his Slytherin Dungeons.

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_**Review!**_


	12. Phantom Dream

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**_Dia (Kardia/heart)_**

**_Basilio Magiknos (basileio/kingdom) (Magikos/magic)_**

**_Monimos (permanant or stable)_**

**_Koa mahou (koa/core) (Mahou/magic)_**

**_magkeri (keri/candle) (magikos/magic)_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter_**

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_**The Unicorn Prince**_

_**Chapter 12 Phantom Sleep**_

Hermione watched one of her best friends disappear up the stairs leading to the boy's dormitories with worried eyes. Her concern kept mounting by the day, piling high and fast.

harry had grown distant as of late. Actually, the younger teen had been pulling away from everyone not just his close friends. He didn't talk much in class, and shied away from participation. Hermione had often caught the boy staring pensively out the window, or, if there wasn't a window nearby any convenient wall seemed to do the trick.

he had also been ill recently and Hermione didn't believe for one moment it had been some weird new allergy that couldn't be cured; after all, who'd ever heard of someone being allergic to their own clothes?

Don't get her wrong, she didn't think he was lying, but it wouldn't be the first time the boy-who-lived had kept something from them. As depressing as it was to know Harry didn't had enough trust in her and Ron, it wasn't much of a surprise.

Oh, sure, they'd figure it out eventually-they always did-but she wished he would put a little more faith in them. They were his best friends for a reason, she just wished he'd remember that.

Millions of idea's flooded through her mind, fraying her already frazzled nerves and making her snappy. More then once she'd 'bitten' Ron's head off and her scowls sent Dean and Seamus scurrying. The girl's avoided her like the plague and even the teachers were wary around her.

She new most of her thoughts on what was wrong with Harry were preposterous, but she couldn't help it. Chances were it was something utterly ridiculous like...like...

Well...maybe whatever spell or potion he'd used to fix his eyesight had some-highly embarrassing-side effects.

While that would explain some things, it left other things even more in the dark, like his appetite and sleeping patterns. Harry had always had a small appetite (courtesy of living at the Dursley's) and his Nightmares kept him up most nights.

So why, then, wasn't he eating meat? when had he decided to go vegetarian. It didn't make sense. And don't even get her started on his sleeping habits! Falling asleep in class was simply not done.

Another question that circulated inside her mind was why Harry would lie about Hagrid giving him an extra credit assignment. Obviously he hadn't said it to make her happy, so what could possibly be so important about the Unicorn Maiden Myth that he felt he had to lie about it in the first place. It was just a silly story told to children, what could be so special about that.

Where had he even heard about it? It was a Wizarding fairytale, and not a very popular one it would seem.

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

"Ah, Phen, perfect, as usual." The Dark Lord praised looking over the boy's most recent accomplishment. The soft silvery coat felt like magic as it slid over his skin.

"Of course it is my Lord." Hunter agreed easily, ignoring the hateful name his lord addressed him with. He much preferred 'Hunter' but one did not backtalk Lord Voldemort. "Have I ever provided anything less?" the answer was no.

Voldemort looked up at him, a cruel smile twisting his thin lips in a grotesque manner,"No. You took your training to heart better then any Death Eater to date." Voldemort agreed before continuing softly, staring idly at the prisoner hanging limply next to his throne. "Yes, training you at such a young age was one of my more brilliant idea's."

Hunter smile a small, secret smile as he asked, "Great, even, then your plan for Potter?"

The Dark Lord's sharp ruby eyes cut into him, "YOu know?" He didn't even wait for Hunter to nod to the redundant question before continuing, "Of course you know, how thoughtless of me. Now, tell me; what have you seen in my future, Phen?"

Hunter obediently closed his eyes and slipped into the Basilio Magiknos and when he opened them again Voldemort was witness to the newly acquired milky white iris instead of the Malfoy's trademark grey.

Hunter saught out his core first, and nudged the phantom-like thread twined around it. The phantom core belonged to his Monimos, Blaise, and it pulsed once in acknowledgment before wrapping more tightly around him.

Once he was secured, Hunter saught out Voldemort's core. The Dark Lord's core ran along side another 'phantom' core, the two ran so close together that at times they seemed to be one and the same. Every time the two cores did touch, the phantom core appeared weaker, ceroded even as if Voldemort was sucking the magic out of it and leaving nothing but a whithered shell.

Hunter already know this, and easily found the merging point he was looking for. it wasn't too far into the future, and thus, easier to slip into without a strong pull.

_Your little games are about to come to a head_

_For while he sleeps you shall reign_

_But should the Prince wake, it will all end_

Hunter slipped out of the Phantom Realm, vaguely feeling his connection with Blaise slip into the background. He waited in silence for his lord's reaction, not worried in the least.

He wasn't kept waiting long, "We'll just have to make sure he doesn't't wake, now won't we?" The snake lord agreed.

Hunter raised his eyes from their respectful, downcast position, to gaze at the other wizard. The Dark Lord appeared smug in his obvious triumph over the boy-who-lived. "Of course, my Lord. What do you suggest we do?"

Voldemort tapped his chin in a thoughtful way with a long, twig-like finger, "We will bring him here. Yes, and while you're at it, you can take out the trash." With a flick of one pale wrist the two 'decoration's' hanging on either side of the snake throne dropped to the floor with a slight click as the shackles released. "Do with them as you see fit, kill them if you like, just see that they are returned. We don't want it heard the Lord Voldemort goes back on his word, no, do we?"

It was a rhetorical question, so Hunter ignored it. "And what of Potter, my lord? Shall I kill him as well?" he queried, even though he knew his answer already.

"No." The Dark Lord's voice was a slow drawl and it was obvious he was tickled by whatever it was he had planned for the boy. "I want him alive. a trophy, our own little Sleeping Beauty. Only, there will be no Prince Charming or Happily-Ever-After this time around."

Hunter refrained from arching an eyebrow at his master's insane ramblings. "As you command, My Lord." Hunter bowed again when a gaunt hand waved through the air in dismissal.

He cast a quick levitation spell over his new playthings before turning to exit the hall.

"Send Lucius in, I need to speak with him." Voldemort called after him, not even raising his voice. Hunter paused to nod his acknowledgment of the order before Vanishing out the door.

Two Death Eaters stood guard outside Voldemort's audience chamber. One he was sure was Bella, the Lord's favorite toy, the other was Lucius, the Dark Lord's second in command.

If the Dark Lord survived his encounter with the Prince -which he wouldn't- Hunter would have been elevated to second on his seventeenth birthday. Lucius was already prepared for the shift in ranks, had been since his three year old son had been named Dark Heir.

But Hunter had never been content with playing second fiddle. If Lord Voldemort's time wasn't already ticking, he would have done something about it himself.

"Our Lord wishes to speak with you, Father."

"Very well." His father answered, but made no move to open the door, 'You're mother misses you, Phen, and requests your presence when you get the chance." He said curtly. Hunter nodded, though he had no inclination to see his mother in the near nor distant future.

"Phen." His ant greeted him once his father was gone."

Hunter pivoted to level a glare at the witch, "My name, _aunt_, is Hunter." He sneered.

Hunter hated his given name and only a handful of people were allowed to call him that; not even Blaise had that privilege.

Bella smirked at him, dark eyes flashing in amusement. Hunter ignored her, turning on his heel, he vanished into the shadows with his two prisoners.

In his wake, Bella was left staring into the shadows with interest.

**_hpdmhpdmhp_**

Yawning was fast becoming one of Harry's best friends. Ever five minutes or so he'd be covering his mouth to hide another yawn from Ron and Hermione.

It was embarrassing how many times he'd almost fallen asleep in class, and he'd caught himself seconds from face planting into his mashed potatoes at dinner.

"Harry, why don't you head to bed early tonight. You're not doing your homework any favors in your current state." Hermione suggested reasonably; they'd only been studying for _ten minutes_, if Hermione was suggesting he forgo homework for bed, perhaps he should listen to her.

"You know," He said, stifling another yawn, "I thin I will. See ya tomorrow guys."

He was so tired when he reached the top of the stairs he almost forgot to change. After a quick inner debate he decided it would be best to simply strip to his boxers and sleep like that, it wouldn't be the first time. And it would be fastest.

That settled he was able to slip under the covers quickly and sleep took him in minutes.

_This time Harry made no detours to his usual series of dreams, slipping easily into his garden._

_Looking around, he spotted his Dream Partner leaning against a tall tree trunk, a multitude of colorful leaves hung above him and warm snowflakes drifted romantically onto the eternally green grass,, melting into dew that lay heavily on the pale blossoms surrounding them._

_"hey," harry greeted warmly as his companion caught his wrist and tugged him down between his legs. Harry couldn't stop grinning as he situated himself with his back to the other's chest._

_A comfortable silence settled over the garden, each person lost in their thoughts. Harry, for his part, couldn't help but wonder who he shared these precious moments with. It could be Voldemort for all he knew-yet, he found he didn't care if it was. He'd never been so happy then he was in this garden._

_Finally curiosity go the better of the young prince and he twisted around to face the shadow._

_Propping his hands on the man's knees he stared intently into the obscured face, trying to make out his features, rather unsuccessfully too._

_The other boy reached out to encircle Harry's waist with strong arms, "what is it?" He asked, amusement paining his voice sexy._

_"I was just wondering, who are you?"_

_The shadow chuckled, leaning forward until his breath ghosted over Harry's extra sensitive ears, "I can be anyone you want me to be." He purred voice thick and sweet._

_Harry's eyes hooded in pleasure and a smile slid across his own lips, "Anyone?" He repeated, already thinking who he wanted his partner to be._

_"Anyone." The Phantom reassured._

_Moments later an excited Harry pulled the Phantom off the grass and onto a nearby bench, which the wizard quickly straddled._

_The shadow followed his lead, although he was obviously amused._

_"How about..." Harry paused thoughtfully, "Ron...yeah, do Ron!"_

_No sooner had he said that then the Phantom's obscure features begin to take form; his body bulked up and he gained a couple inches. Red hair fell into baby blue eyes and dusky freckles spread over his nose and cheeks._

_"Wow, that is so cool!" Harry crowed, looking at his best friend's face closely. Not one feature was out of place._

_Ron-Phantom smirked at him and he felt his face scrunch up. That Slytherin expression just did not belong on such a Gryffindor face._

_"Okay, now do Hermione." was his next obvious choice._

_Ron-Phantom nodded and even as he did so, Harry watched as he melted into his other best friend. _

_Hermione was an average height for a which, only a few inches shorter then Harry himself. She had extremely bushy brown hair and warm eyes. harry was also pretty sure she was stronger then he was, what with that massive load of books she lugged around with her every day._

_"This is so weird." The boy laughed, emerald eyes sparkling with glee, causing Hermione-Phantom to smile slightly as well, "Alright do...Fred next."_

_Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth he found himself staring into the pale blue eyes of Weasley Twin #1...or was George Weasley_ Twin #1? _Harry was never one hundred percent sure on that matter._

_Fred-Phantom scooted a bit closer, entwining their hands easily._

_Harry felt his face heat up instantly and he looked away, one word ringing in his mind, 'awkward'._

_"Um...Cho Chang." he mumbled out the first name that came to mind. Instead of making him feel better, it made him feel worse. The warm soft hand in his was unfamiliar and well...too soft after the firmness of Fred's hand._

_"M-Molly Weasley." Now his hand was engulfed in the large hand of the Weasley matriarch, and Harry felt his blush subside. He was still embarrassed, but it was fading now._

_Looking into Ron's mothers face had Harry thinking. The ache in his chest he was so used to ignoring flared up and harry swallowed hard. Should he? Oh, but he so desperately wanted to see her. It was a yearning so strong only another orphan would _truly_ understand._

_"Could-could you...maybe...turn into my mum. Just for a minute please?" He was flushing again and looking down at his lap._

_Phantom squeezed his hand in understanding as he changed, and it drew Harry's eyes there, to their entwined fingers._

_Lily Potter's hands were beautiful, with long elegant fingers. Her hand was smooth and delicate within his (nothing like Cho's or even Mrs. Weasley's) He couldn't tear his eyes away, but slowly he forced his gaze up. Over his mother's tiny wrist, along the creamy white of her arm. She was wearing a loose black dress he noted. Up the pale arch of her neck, her jaw, her fiery red hair -more vibrant than any Weasley's- She was beautiful in every sense of the word. But when he looked into his mother's emerald eyes, identical to his own in every way, it was his undoing._

_He choked on a sob, yet his eyes were glued, he couldn't look away. Tears were pooling in his eyes as his mother-no the Phantom- pulled him into an embrace, cradling his head against their chest._

_This had been a bad idea, he was sure of it as he buried his face in Phantom's chest, when he'd become Phantom again Harry didn't know, nor did he care._

_"Sorry." he murmured as his trembling slowed. Phantom just shrugged, "How about..." Harry cast around for someone else, someone to chase away the tight feeling in his chest, "Draco Malfoy." he decided quickly. That should work, the sight of the blond always had managed to make Harry's blood boil._

_When nothing seemed to happen, Harry looked up at Phantom afraid his previous reaction had made his companion change his mind. The sight of silver blue eyes inches from his own caused harry's breath to hitch and a different type of tightness settled in his chest._

_Harry gulped, caught in those intriguing eyes, like a fish in a net. Harry could feel a strong hand in his hair, and another braced against the small of his back. The Prince's own hands were clutching Draco-Phantom's Slytherin robes. They were so close Harry could feel ever line of his rival's body against him, and soft blond hair tickled his face._

_Harry had never been so close to the Malfoy Heir before; it was...unbelievably invigorating. "Harry?" Merlin! Even his voice was the same and harry was secretly thrilled with the way his name sounded on that particular tongue, lie it was some exotic sweet to be savored._

_It would appear that this had been as much a bad idea as his earlier choice, if a lot more pleasant, "I-" His voice cracked, embarrassed, he cleared his throat, "I just want you to be you." yes, that was good...that was safe._

_Phantom smirked and faded back into shadows and darkness. Then the other figure tilted his head and appeared to be listening to something. "Your pet Weasley is calling you." _

_Something about the way Phantom said that struck harry as odd. He ignored it though and focused on the words themselves as they were more important, "But I don't want to leave." he pouted, clutching tighter to Phantom._

_"Don't worry Harry, I'll be waiting for your return." His voice had begun to fade, echoing around them strangely._

Harry blinked his eyes open, barely aware of Ron shaking him roughly, his ears picking out the loud complaining first, "Harry! Get up! We're already late for class and we missed breakfast completely. I don't want you to get us into even more trouble."

This is why Ron woke him up? to blame him for their sleeping in, now that just wasn't fair. harry wasn't very bothered, though; his life had never been what one could call fair. Besides, Ron was just like that, he didn't really mean anything by it. His earlier anger over Harry's new wardrobe was already fading into nonexistence. he was still the same hothead, but at least he'd learned to calm himself down...or was that Hermione's doing, one could never be certain.

Not that it made him any less annoying. All harry wanted to do was slip back into those arms waiting for him in his dreams.

Well, that was easily solved; the sooner he got to class, the sooner he could go to sleep.

Course decided, Harry headed out the door, leaving his best friend gawking at him. Indeed, he'd forgotten the loud red head completely, as well as his little golden friend and; surprisingly, forgetting to change into his school robes.

That was what had Ron gawking. One minute Harry was in his pj's blinking back sleep and the next he...well, wasn't. harry was decked out in one of his new expensive outfits in the time it took Ron to blink.

But that couldn't be right. could it?

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

"What took so long?" Hermione hissed as the freckly boy sat down next to her. "You're almost half an hour late and you missed an important lecture."

Ron shrugged, "I couldn't wake Harry up, Bloody git sleeps like the dead."

Hermione ignored that last part and focused on the important information he'd just relayed to her. her already intelligent eyes sharpening with interest, "Hm, he seems to have no such problems falling asleep." She muttered halfway between disapproval and concern, eying the already dozing boy. "What about his nightmares?"

Ron snorted, "What nightmares?" At Hermione's fierce glare he quickly corrected himself, "None that I've noticed. He sleeps pretty peacefully."

Hermione glanced back at the brunet, her brow furrowed. He did look mighty relaxed. She was almost reluctant to wake him up. Almost. She had a bad feeling in regards ho his easy sleep, it couldn't be normal.

She desperately wished it could be though, that boy deserved some peace.

"Wake him up Ron, We're in class." It tore at her heart to say it, but she had to.

**_hpdmhpdmhp_**

Draco couldn't help staring, he'd been doing so all day and he couldn't seem to stop. Strangely he didn't _want _to stop.

The boy-who-lived was truly drawing this day. Okay, so that wasn't exactly true, but he was blinking again and that made him interesting. The blinking wasn't in any particular pattern Draco could discern, and he couldn't find a trigger for it either. Potter was just randomly flickering from everyday savior to exotic eye candy.

Draco couldn't tear his eyes away, always wondering -anticipating- when he'd change next.

Once or twice Draco had swore he'd seen...well, the black unicorn from the other day. but he'd blink and it would always been Boring Potter he was staring at.

he wasn't sure he wanted to make the connections his mind was hinting (read: screaming) at him.

Draco's unabashed staring had him noticing other little details. Such as Potter's new ability to fall asleep anytime anywhere. He completely ignored Granger and the Weasel for most of the day, and -oddly enough- whenever he'd 'flicker' Draco was sure he could see something golden flashing against his inky horn and hair.

Draco couldn't be certain what it was he was seeing from this distance, but it, plus everything else, had piqued the young seer's interest.

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

It was with reluctance Draco dragged himself up to Trelawney's Tower that evening. The beautiful image of Potter, the hidden one, ever at the back of his mind.

Trelawney met him as he ascended from the trap door. "Good, you're here." She turned with a flurry and headed to the beaded curtain without another word.

Draco made his way to the center of the room and made himself comfortable on the single piece of furniture in sight, the cushion from the night before.

He wasn't waiting long before Professor Trelawney reemerged with a familiar candle and three sticks of incense. "Today I want you seeking you're _koa mahou, _or in other words, you're magical core."

"That is not a Greek word." Draco pointed out oh-so-helpfully.

The old lady huffed in a very Granger-like fashion, "That's because it's Japanese. The Greeks have a strong history in Seeing, but japan has always been knee deep in magic. You should know that."

Of course Draco knew that, he was a Malfoy for Merlin's sake, and a good portion of the Dark Arts originated from Japan.

"_Koa mahou_ is also the more common term. The Greeks simply termed it as the heart, or the Dia." And it was back to business, "Now, when you enter the Basilio Magiknos this time I want you to focus on your magic, where it comes from and what it's like." Trelawney was already lighting the candle before she had finished speaking.

Always on top of things Draco let his eyes close and the scents of the candle and incense pulled him into Basilio Magiknos.

he spent a few minutes inspecting the different threads, now known as Dia, before setting about with his real task.

Now, how exactly was he supposed to find his Dia? The batty Professor really should be more specific in her directions.

Draco decided he might as well go about this practically and looked down at his heart. He was surprised to find nothing there. No string/Dia, no shirt, no _him_. He was gone!

But if this was true, how could he still feel the Dia of the Magkeri griped firmly in his right hand-or was it his left? Now that he thought about it, he wasn't at all sure which hand he was using.

Thoroughly confused and irritated now, Draco set about finding his own Dia, the bloody thing couldn't be far. He was _here_ after all, so it would also have to be _here_. But it wasn't.

Unless he didn't recognize his own Dia, his own magic.

Frustrated with his fruitless results and confusing thoughts and aware of the magkeri's flickering 'pulse'-he was running out of time- he stopped and leaned against a wall.

Well, it was a figurative wall since it wasn't really there, but that was perfect for his figurative body since it wasn't really there either.

Draco closed his 'eyes' and raised a 'hand' to his 'head'. Merlin, he was giving himself a headache.

The Dia in his hand began to vibrate so Draco opened his eyes, remembering the last time that had happened. Two seconds before the world around him 'tipped' his eyes found it. He recognized it immediately. It was _his_ Dia, and it had been behind him the whole time.

**_hpdmhpdmhp_**

"I found it!" Were the first words out of the young Malfoy's mouth once back in his own realm.

"Wonderful! Now, what was it like?" The professor encouraged him.

Draco closed his eyes, trying to imagine it. But it was a pointless exorcise, "I don't know." He said with a sigh, "I only caught a glimpse of it. I'd like to inspect it further, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, Mr. Malfoy." She readily agreed, 'Accio Magkeri!" Said item floated into the room, followed by three sticks of incense.

"Professor, you told me yesterday that the Magkeri was a candle, what purpose, then do the incense hold?" Draco asked as he watched the professor set up the candle and incense.

"Five point to Slytherin for paying attention. The incense is nothing more then a magic booster, otherwise you'd never find the magkeri's Dia, because it's so faint on it's own."

Draco nodded his understanding and closed his eyes, he instantly latched onto the Magkeri's's Dia and let him guide him. Once there, Draco turned around and, sure enough, there was the familiar Dia.

It was so strong! Stronger and more solid than any he'd come across so far. That could be because it was the Dia of a living thing, or it could be because it belonged to Draco himself. There was no way of knowing as of yet because he'd really only encountered inanimate objects thus far.

While he contemplated the matter he idly followed his Dia back they way it came. He stopped short when it merged with another Dia. Not willing to get into trouble for investigating the merging, he went to move around it and continue following his Dia. Only...his Dia had disappeared and he found another Dia, barely fainter then his, but still solid, running parallel with the Dia his had merged with.

Then, beyond that rand a third parallel, fainter then the second, but solid none-the-less. This third Dia was different though, drenched in darkness and decay and it ran so close to the second Dia that he could see an inevitable taint.

Ignoring those two, Draco went back to where his Dia disappeared to investigate. After a close inspection he concluded that there was something different about this merging, it wasn't a merging so much as a connecting.

Like a branch on a tree; and the Tree, Draco noted, was wider and stronger then the Branch. But it was just as familiar as the branch because it _was _the branch.

This was his Dia, his _koa mahou_. This revelation brought on a whole new slew of questions. Ones, it would seem, would have to wait until he was back in his world before he could contemplate them...the magkeri Dia was vibrating again.

**_hpdmhpdmhp_**

Once back in his body, Draco stretched, hating the kings his body acquired while his mind was busy. "So? What did you find out?' His professor inquired eagerly.

"Not much. I followed my Dia until it connected with another stronger Dia that also belonged to me."

"Ah!" Trelawney was smiling her approval now, "This is something I want you to read up on. In short though, when you enter Basilio Magiknos chances that you'll stick close to the path you're Dia is taking are slim. To stop you from dragging you're Dia all over the place a piece of it breaks away, a leash if you will, and it follows you though the Basileio. Anything else?"

Draco thought about it a minute before nodding. Quickly he went over the two other Dia's he'd run across.

Trelawney furrowed her brow, "One of those would be you'r Monimos, probably the one closer to your Dia. The other I cannot account for. How odd."

"Hmm." Draco hummed as he stood. He had a lot to think about, and homework that needed to be done. "I'll see you tomorrow professor. Good night." Still thoughtful Draco headed down the trap door, his mind shifting from the strange occurrences surrounding Potter, to his Monimos. He wanted so badly to enter Basilio Magiknos and look into his Monimos' Dia more closely, but he couldn't. he'd have to be patient and wait for the next day.

Tomorrow had never been so far away.

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**_Review!_**


	13. Stolen

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (he belongs to Draco Malfoy)_**

_**Dia (Kardia/heart)**_

_**Basilio Magiknos (basileio/kingdom) (Magikos/magic)**_

_**Monimos (permanant or stable)**_

_**Koa mahou (koa/core) (Mahou/magic)**_

_**magkeri (keri/candle) (magikos/magic)**_

**_

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Chapter 13

Stolen

_When Draco entered the Dreamscape this time he found himself within the garden immediately without having to search for it. He wasn't about to complain, it let him have that much more time with his Monimos, something he wasn't about to waste. _

_He quickly strode through the beautiful garden, mindless of the exotic surroundings in his single-mindedness to reach the prince. _

_He'd just rounded a line of rosebushes when he abruptly found himself with an armful of his Monimos._

"_You're here!" The other boy crowed, his voice muffled in Draco's neck. "I thought you weren't coming. You're always here when I fall asleep, but you weren't here this time." He sounded on the verge of being hysteric._

"_I'm sorry, I'm here now though so calm down." He rubbed the other boys back in a soothing gesture, making a mental note to think over the boy's odd words later._

_After a few moments the trembling ceased, and Draco was able to lead the other boy to a nearby bench where the strange boy preceded to sit in his lap. _

_Draco, though pleased, couldn't help but find the boy's sudden touchy attitude a bit odd. They'd only met once before, shouldn't they be going a bit…slower?_

_Not one to complain, Draco wrapped his arms around the boys waist and decided now was a good time to start prying information from the prince perched comfortably on his lap. "How about we get to know each other a little better?" He asked conversationally, his mind already working out a way to ask if the boy was a muggle or not. Hopefully not, he was already knee deep in trouble as soon as his father found out he had broken the barriers on his magic. _

"_Well, I guess so." The other boy spoke, settling against his chest._

_Draco's hand lifted to sift through the prince's hair, "Where do you go to school?" That seemed a safe question._

_The boy paused for a minute before answering slowly, "I go to boarding school, actually, what about you?"_

_Draco smiled, "Same, I end up spending most of the year in Scotland because of it."_

"_Scotland isn't that bad a place." The boy said, his voice sounding amused._

"_True," Draco acquiesced, "But one get's tired of the cold every once in a while. So just how far will I have to go to find you if I'm in Scotland most of the year?"_

_The boy's head sank back, and he looked up at Draco. The young Malfoy was surprised to find himself lost in a sea of emerald, "actually, not far. My school is in Scotland as well."_

_Draco's eyebrows raised, "Oh really?" This couldn't be a simple coincidence, this boy had to be magical. "So, if I said I wanted to meet up with you in the real world, do you think you could sneak out or maybe I could sneak in?"_

_The other boy stiffened for a moment, "I'd probably have to do the sneaking, my school isn't exactly…easy to find."_

_Definitely a Hogwarts student, otherwise there wouldn't have been a problem with him sneaking in, and it would have probably been the safer choice. _

_His thoughts were cut short as the dream world started to slip away and he could hear the other boy's in his dorm. "I have to go now." He said, standing up carefully, making sure the boy on his lap was standing firmly, before letting go completely.._

"_But you just got here!" Harry was at a loss as the other figure started to disappear. This wasn't supposed to happen, it was always Harry who left first. Had he said something wrong? Did his dream partner not want him anymore?_

_A gentle hand cupped Harry's cheek, "Don't worry, I'll be looking for you."_

_With those lonely words still handing in the air, the other figure faded from existence, leaving Harry alone in the garden. _

_He wasn't at all sure what had gone wrong, but he resigned himself to another day of school and loneliness. He was just starting to fade into the waking world as well, when a hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him back into his garden. _

_Harry looked behind him at the person holding him back, confusion in his bottle-green eyes, "I thought you left." _

_The figure that had only moments ago disappeared, smiled at him, "I had to make a quick trip, but I'm back now." There was a pause before he continued, "How would you like to stay with me forever?"_

_Harry's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?" He asked hopefully, his voice breathless with longing. The other figure simply nodded. Harry, grinning broadly, leapt at the phantom, who caught him easily, "I don't ever have to leave again?" _

_The soft whisper of "Never." Had his heart soaring._

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

Something was wrong with Harry.

Ron had been waking the boy up so they could get ready for the day, Harry had even sat up and looked directly at him.

Then his still sleep fogged eyes had gone completely blank and he'd simply…passed out. That was the only way Ron could explain it. One minute he'd been sitting up and the next he'd slumped back onto the bed in a dead faint. His head had hit the headboard heavily, but he didn't even grunt in pain. His eyes stared unseeingly above him and his breathing was shallow.

A few minutes later he started to shiver madly, his teeth chattering loudly in the silence of the room.

"Neville, go find Hermione, Dean go alert a professor. Seamus and I are going to get him to the Hospital wing." Ron's barked orders seemed to unfreeze his friends and they all leapt into action. Ron hoped Harry would be ok.

**_hpdmhpdmhp_**

Draco had been awake for a few minutes when it struck; the sudden onslaught of images had Draco on his knees. The bustle of early morning was forgotten as he was pulled roughly into a vision.

It was like the day with Professor Trelawney when he'd broken through the spells holding his gift in check. Images flooded his mind, he was spun from one scene to another. All had one main focal point, a boy. A boy with messy black hair, pale skin with a single oddly shaped scar, and the most pure emerald eyes ever to grace a human face.

It was the same eyes that plagued his dreams, the same eyes that lay in his arch rival's head. Though at the moment that didn't seem to be all that important. What was important was that Draco was being pulled further and further into the possessive clutch of the Sight.

This was dangerous. The power flowing around him had a lethargic effect on him. It made him want to sit back and watch the scene's unfold before him. The temptation of simply staying and watching time slip bye was extreme. It would be so simple, and no one could blame him for wanting to know what the future held.

But he couldn't do that. As much as he wanted to, he had something he had to do. His Monimos was in trouble.

It took great effort to pull himself back away from the enticing call of the future, but he managed it. He found himself on the floor of his dorm gasping for break like a merman out of water. His dorm mates stood around him; Crabb and Goyle looked at a loss for what to do. Theo was kneeling next to him rubbing his back and offering him a glass of water. The only person not in the circle around him was Blaise, who sat on his bed watching Draco with an amused expression.

Draco sent the boy a glare, then preceded to ignore him. Actually, he preceded to ignore the rest of his year mates, not even bothering to drink the glass of water held out to him before he dashed out the door.

He ignored the other Slytherin's calls as he darted through the entrance into the hall and up the stairs leading to the main hall. Only one thought was on his mind as he made his way through the halls. His Monimos needed him. The image of the boy in the infirmary kept playing through his mind, followed by the shadow that stalked him.

It had yet to sink in that the boy he'd seen in his visions was Harry Potter, all he knew was that that boy needed him.

The hospital wing was in a panic when Draco arrived, yet when he stepped into the room everyone froze, as if he'd pressed 'pause'. Draco ignored the looks he was getting from Snape, Dumbledore, and Madam Pomphrey as he focused on the figure in the bed. Weasley and granger were glaring at him suspiciously, but he ignored that too. None of them were important.

What was important was the boy apparently sleeping on the bed. "What happened?" He demanded authoratively as he swept towards the boy.

Weasley stepped in front of him, "Why don't you tell us, ferret." He hissed, "You're probably the one who did this to him."

Draco glared coldly at the redhead, before smoothly brushing passed him as if he weren't there at all.

"Mr. Malfoy, this does not concern you, I must ask you to return to your dormitory." The Headmaster interrupted this time.

Draco sent him a quelling look then turned to his godfather and repeated his question, "what happened."

The Professor narrowed his eyes at the boy suspiciously, but Draco ignored that as well and continued to stare at him expectantly. At last the older man gave in, "We don't know much, only that he passed out shortly after waking up. He's not responding to anything we do, only shivering and arching off the bed as if in pain."

Nodding Draco looked at the young Potter heir, the magic surrounding him was astounding, and left Draco almost breathless is amazement. Yet, this outpour of wild magic also worried him greatly. Something was very wrong here.

He ignored everyone else in the room as he crossed to stand beside the boys head, his eyes sweeping over the sleeping figure searchingly. Potter seemed to be sleeping fitfully, his expression a mix between pain and peace, an odd combination to be sure. His inky hair was plastered to his damp face, his skin was clammy and had prominent gooseflesh. But what concerned Draco the most was Potter's flickering.

Potter's appearance seemed to be very unstable, changing between the ethereal creature Draco has spied a few times and the normal everyday boy that Draco was beginning to think was merely a mask.

"What's wrong with him?" Granger gasped, and Draco glanced behind him to see her staring with wide eyes at her slumbering best friend.

Draco snorted, "He's been cursed, what does it look like?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw his godfather flinch, but dismissed it as unimportant.

Granger's eyes flicked between the blond Slytherin and his sleeping rival, "Well, I know that…but…why is he…" She gestured vaguely at the motionless figure, her expression confused and concerned.

Draco looked back at the flickering boy in curiosity, before his eyes settled on the muggle born, "Why is he…what?" He asked, wondering if it was possible she saw it too.

Granger met his eyes for a split second before looking away again, obviously uncomfortable, "He's….changing." She admitted in a strangled voice, "One minute he looks like Harry, then he looks completely different, like something out of some fantastic novel." A moment later she's focused her eyes back on Draco with a determined fire, "Is this part of the curse? Could the curse that's keeping him asleep be…changing him?"

Draco tore his eyes from the girl and focused back on Potter, "No, his change has nothing to do with the curse." He admitted.

"What do you mean, my boy?" The Headmaster asked, leaning closer.

Draco sent a Malfoy sneer in the old man's direction, "This change happened at least a week ago, if not more. The curse was administered much more recently."

"And how do you know this, my boy." Another glare was shot in the headmaster's direction, but he was otherwise ignored.

Draco's hand seemed inexplicably drawn to the boy and he lightly brushed a strand of damp bangs from the sleeping figure's forehead. The tip of one of his fingers lightly caressed the skin of Harry's forehead by accented. The contact was brief, but it was enough to cause a violent reaction.

Potter arched off the bed, a strange keening sound pouring from his lips. His eyes were clenched tightly, and he pushed his head into Draco's hand more firmly. The Magic sliding sinuously around the sleeping boy pulsed and danced before settling back to encase the Griffindor's still form once more. As Potter slumped back onto the mattress the his features seemed to melt away, blending together until the Harry everyone was so familiar with was no more. In his place lay a beautiful, exotic boy with ebony hair, ivory skin with silvery markings all down the side of his face, and a very prominent horn rising proudly between his bangs effectively masking the scar that had made the boy famous.

Granger gasped.

Weasley swore.

Professor McGonagall sat down heavily on a nearby bed.

Professor Snape arched an eyebrow.

Dumbledore looked grave.

Madam Pomphrey simply clucked her tongue impatiently.

And Draco…Draco was floored. He couldn't ignore it any longer. His magic had recognized his other half and sung happily through his veins with the knowledge. This mesmerizing boy belonged to him.

It was a sobering thought, even more so when the brunette's identity sunk through his thick skull. Harry Potter was his Monimos.

"What the bloody heck just happened?" Weasley barked, effectively brining everyone back to their senses.

"Yes, Draco, would you care to explain what just happened?" Professor Snape's silky voice snaked towards him, causing him to stiffen. There was no going back, and no lying.

"I imagine that his magic is fighting whatever curse has been placed on him. It most likely was making that glamour of his unstable which would explain the flickering, and when I touched him and his magic recognized mine as 'safe' it broke the glamour completely unable to sustain it, or simply overwhelmed by the combination of our magic. Possibly both."

"What do you mean recognize your magic as 'safe'?" Granger asked.

The redhead snorted, "Safe, yeah right. You're a Death Eater, there's nothing 'safe' about you. Especially not where Harry's concerned."

Draco sneered at the unpleasant boy, "I'm more safe to him then you are Weasley, Death Eater or no."

"Why would you concern yourself with Harry anyway, you hate him." Granger continued wisely.

Draco turned his attention to her, "I do not hate Potter, I do not believe I am capable of hating him." He admitted with an unpleasant expression, not at all happy with that fact.

"Liar!" Of course, this was the imbecile Weasley.

"Draco…" his godfather said warningly.

Said boy ignored him, his fingers idly tracing the soft skin of Harry's lifeless hand. "Even I am incapable of hating the other half of my soul." His eyes locked with Weasley's, "And I am _not lying."_ If there was one way to insult a Seer, that was it. Not only did it go against their very magic, but Seer's were incapable of Lying. Twist the truth…sure, but outright lying was impossible. Not that anyone here knew that, except Snape, it was still a major insult.

Another gasp sounded, and Dumbledore was frowning outright by now. Snape looked none too pleased with this idea either.

"Are you saying your soul mates?" Granger asked skeptically.

Draco snorted again, "Not likely. It's complicated, Granger. I'm not sure even you would be able to understand the complexities of my and Potter's relationship."

"Try me." She challenged.

Draco smirked in amusement, "To put it most simply, Potter will be my anchor. Without him I would not survive long without loosing myself in my magic."

"And what about Harry? What does he get out of this….arrangement."

Draco shrugged, unconcerned. "That's not something I've ever really needed to know, I've never bothered looking it up." He confessed.

"Why would you loose yourself in your magic without him? Your magic can't be that unstable. And why Harry?"

Draco glared over at her, "It is none of your business, Granger. There is no reason for you to be sticking your nose in my personal affairs."

Professor Snape seemed to understand what was happening, finally. The only thing that really surprised Draco was that it took the man this long to figure it out, he was Draco's godfather after all, and, therefore, more knowledgeable then most about Draco and his brother's gifts.

This also meant he knew about Draco's binding. That he allowed it to happen left Draco slightly angry at the man. "You've done well enough without him until now, that can't possibly have changed."

Draco sent a cold look in the older man's direction, "Again this is none of your concern. This is between Potter and myself until a time we should decide to inform anyone."

"And does Harry even know about this?"

He fixed them all with a hard expression, "Enough with the twenty questions, leave. You can return later."

"Wait!" Weasley shouted, outraged, "You can't kick us out."

"You'd be surprised." Draco drawled, but Granger interrupted him.

"But what's wrong with him? And why does he look like that? What are we going to do?" she seemed rather frantic.

Before Draco was able to answer a spark of magic connected Draco and his Monimos for a brief instant. It was enough of an anchor for Draco to See. It wasn't clear, just a bunch of images flashing through his mind, much like what had happened when his gift had been unblocked.

Milk colored eyes slipped back into silver as Draco refocused on the normal plane again. "Like I said before, Potter is under a curse." When he said this he shot an accusing glare in Snapes direction, "His magic is fighting it, but it's a complicated spell with many layers. Attempting to break the spell would be completely useless." At the blank looks most people gave him at that he continued with an aggravated sigh, "Potter is immune to spells and potions. If you don't believe me ask Professor Snape or Madam Pomphrey, they'll verify that for me. As for why he looks like that?" Another look was shot at the bewitching boy, "That I do not know, you'd have to ask him."

"Why do you even care?" Weasley snapped. "and how do you know all that anyway?"

Draco glared at him, "Who said I did?" He snipped back. "Enough with the questions, I've asked you all to leave already, don't make me force the point."

"Why-"

Draco cut the professor off, "Potter's magic is unstable at the moment, he's fighting a loosing battle and all you are doing is serving to aggravate and distract his magic from the more important task of reviving him."

Another annoying question popped up, "Well, why do you get to stay?"

Draco felt the inexplicable urge to bang his head against a wall, "I answered this already as well, his magic recognizes mine and is he is now drawing strength from me. If I leave it will take him twice as long to recover then if I were to remain here. That is if he was strong enough to break it on his own anyway. The curse seems to be draining his magic at a startling pace."

He then proceeded to ignore everyone in the room, his shoulders and back tense until everyone had finally left the room (Weasley protesting the entire way).

**_dmhpdmhpdm_**

When shadows had stretched across the landscape and night draped the wizarding school an unwelcome intruder was making his way through Hogwarts halls. Getting inside the castle was as easy as it always was and the young man contemplated stopping by the Slytherin Dungeons for a quick…visit…with his Monimos.

The idea was discarded almost as soon as it had come, Hunter was here on business. This was reinforced by the two unconscious bodies floating along behind him, blood dripping steadily on the stone floor marking his path.

He almost left them in the great hall to be discovered at breakfast the next morning, but changed his mind a moment later. He was glad he did, too, when he finally found his newest prey.

His brother sat in a chair next to the bed Harry Potter was resting in. Draco looked exhausted, and his brows were furrowed, even in his sleep. "Oh, yesss." Hunter hissed, his eyes practically sparkling with amusement. What a lovely little present to leave his sibling.

He cast a quick cloaking spell over the room and another spell to assure him that Draco would not be waking up until morning. Then he levitated the young Prince off the bed to hover next to the tall blond.

Next he moved the two hostages above the bed, conjuring two ropes by which to hang them. The ropes twined around their already bloody wrists then connected with the ceiling.

When that was done he looked down at his prize. The boy was beyond beautiful, and he felt the urge to touch his creamy flesh. Not one to ignore his urges, he trailed one finger down the boy's face, neck, chest…until he was lightly caressing the boy's side. A wicked smile stole onto his face and he moved to his brother's side.

"Once again I have stepped between you and your future. You shall never see your Monimos again, and even if you do, know that you will never own him. He is mine, now and forever. You will never win, little Dragon." Draco tossed in his sleep, and Hunter pulled away from the younger's ear to smirk down at the Slytherin.

Before leaving completely he decided he'd leave a little message for Hogwarts, and his brother. He would have loved to use the Prince's blood to leave the message, but Voldemort had specifically ordered him not to be harmed. So he substituted the boy's blood for that of the two victims strung above the hospital bed Potter had previously inhabited.

Casting one last look around the room, he removed the spells protecting him, and vanished with his prize.

He'd set the ball rolling, now it wouldn't be long before Voldemort would be out of his way, and with any luck, so too would his father and brother.

**_hpdhpdmhp_**

_"Dear child, wake up. Darling daughter, we are in need of your assistance, please wake up."_ A small blond girl sleeping inside the castle stirred and slowly pulled herself from sleep's clutches.

"Mother?" she whispered into the night, not sure if she was hearing correctly.

_"Yes my darling, it is me. I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest, but you're needed. The Prince is in grave danger. You must wake his protector or all is lost."_

"I'm not sure what you mean, mother." The girl admitted, though she obediently climbed out of her bed and pulled a robe over her night clothes.

_"There's no time to explain, darling. You must hurry. Go to the infirmary, the Prince's Guardian should be there. Go quickly, there isn't a moment to loose."_

Before leaving the room the blond girl moved to the window and glanced down at the forest sleeping below. At the edge of the forest was a gathering of crystal-like figures. Unicorns shifted in the shadows, uneasy now that their Prince had been stolen.

_"Bring him to us, we will guide him from there. Now go!"_

Spinning on her heel, the girl flew from the room, her mother's words still echoing in her mind, urging her faster. Time was of the essence.

**_Review_**


	14. Retrieving Harry

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (he belongs to Draco)_**

* * *

**_The Unicorn Prince_**

**_Chapter 14: Retrieving Harry_**

Luna Lovegood's mother died the night she was born, or at least that's what her father told everyone. That was as far from the truth as it's possible to get.

Luna's mother, you see, was in fact, a Unicorn Maiden. She was one of the few lucky Maiden's to find their other half, but unlike most, she couldn't bear to leave her forest.

Mr. Lovegood would have thought his meeting with the beautiful woman nothing more then a dream, if Luna hadn't been born eight and a half months later.

Luna's father raised her as well as any wizard could considering the circumstances, but Luna ha always been a strange child. Her link to the Maidens allowed her to see things differently then others; which was the cause of a lot of teasing.

Luna never really let it bother her, especially after going to Hogwarts and meeting her mother and the other Maidens. It wasn't abnormal to find her sneaking away to meet with her mother and so she wasn't at all surprised to be called upon late in the night. If it meant aiding the Prince, then she'd do anything required of her. If that meant bringing the Prince's guardian to him, then so be it.

The Prince was long gone by the time she reached the infirmary, but she'd been expecting that. His mate was still asleep in the chair next to the bed, and it did surprise the girl to discover the Prince's mate was none other then Draco Malfoy. How could she miss him with hair like that, not many people had hair quite that shade, only slightly darker then her own locks?

An energetic ball of bright yellow feathers kept pelting the slumbering Slytherin in an unsuccessful attempt to awaken him.

There were also two bloody forms hanging above the bed, dripping crimson onto the usually spotless sheets. Luna ignored them, for now they were unimportant.

At the moment all that truly mattered was to get the Prince back, without him everything was lost. Compared to the devastation that would befall the earth in the event that the prince was lost, two unimportant casualties were acceptable.

A spell had been cast over the sleeping blond, holding him inside his dreams. Otherwise Luna was sure no one would have been able to take the Prince.

_**Dmhpdmhpdm**_

Draco Malfoy knew he was dreaming, and he was not happy about it. He could tell something was wrong in the waking world, yet no matter how hard he tried he could not wake himself up.

He could feel the sensations he usually associated with having a vision, but no images came to him and it was beginning to give him a headache, even in his sleep.

This suspended state he found himself trapped in was beginning to grate on his nerves….big time. The only thing he could think of that could hold him in such a state for any period of time was a spell. If that was the case Draco was willing to bed Hunter had something to do with it, it was just his style too. Unfortunately he didn't have a clue how to break the spell.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to worry about it for too long, and it was with a rush of jumbled images that Draco was jerked awake. He gasped, staring uncomprehending at the bed in front of him.

The rush of the suppressed images left him weak and in pain, most of which was located in and around his brain. It wasn't surprising, then, that it took a moment for what he was seeing to truly sink in. The bed was empty, and covered in blood.

Harry Potter was missing.

Another drop of blood landed on the bed, and Draco's alarmed gaze climbed up to the people left hanging above the bed and the message waiting for him there.

"Hunter." He whispered, his suspicions confirmed. Oh, sure it didn't exactly ay his name anywhere, but Draco _had_ known him his whole life.

"Yes, and you must hurry, there's not much time." The voice startled Draco and he tried to spin around, only he was still sitting down when he tried and ended up on the floor for his effort.

He didn't even get to see the speaker when he did gain his feat, because as soon as he did stand he found himself with a face-full of feathers. "Bloody Merlin, what-" He groused to no one in particular, drawing his wand to defend himself from the deranged creature.

"No! Don't hurt him!" The voice cried as a hand clamped around his wand arm. Another hand expertly scooped the small bird from the air and Draco was permitted his first view of his attacker, and his rescuer.

"Lovegood?" He asked incredulously, and then focused on the small fowl in her hand. "Is that a Snidget?" He asked in slight awe, and raised his eyes to lock with Luna's blue ones, "What's going on?" He demanded when his previous revelations returned to him, "Where's Potter?"

"You already know where Harry is, Hunter took him. Now come on, we don't have much time. If you don't act now we'll lose him forever."

Draco hesitated, glancing towards the bed and the two forms strung above it, "what about them? Shouldn't 't we…I don't know, do something?"

"Don't' worry about them right now, we don't have time." When he didn't seem convinced by her callous words she rolled her eyes, "Madam Pomphrey will be waking to check on Harry in a few minutes she'll find them then. Now if you please," She gestured towards the door eyeing him down stonily.

"Right….find Potter." He said, unnerved by the strange girl.

Draco followed the petite girl through the halls and onto the grounds silently, but when she turned towards the forbidden forest he thought it prudent he voice his concerns.

"Aren't we going after Potter? I'm sure Hunter wouldn't have taken him into the forest."

Luna answered him without slowing down or turning to look at him, "Well, of course he's not in the forest, Hunter took him to You-Know-Who, he's probably there now. But if you want to reach him in time the fastest way is in the forest."

Draco wasn't so sure of that, but followed her anyway. He, for one, didn't have a clue where Voldemort's current hang-out was, and if Luna thought she could get him there quickly then who was he to object?

"Alright, but how exactly do I reach Potter by way of the forbidden forest?"

"_We can help you there"_ A light voice came to him from somewhere within the forest, speaking directly into his mind. The abrupt connection made Draco start and look around himself for the source. Standing at the edge of the forest was the largest herd of unicorns, headed by a large, almost bulky, horse.

No, it wasn't a horse, Draco had seen pictures of a porlock before, and Hagrid had assigned half sheet of parchment on the creature the year before. Its bluish-grey coat was easily distinguishable from any other horse like creature, as was its size. There was only one type of horse larger, and that was the Pegasus.

Draco's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, "Did you just talk to me?" He asked the silvery creatures, thinking he just might be imagining things.

"_Indeed I did young Seer. Are you prepared to rescue the Prince?" _The voice came again, though Draco wasn't positive which member of the herd was speaking.

Luna had left his sidewhile that was happening, and now stood with the unicorns, one of whom was nuzzling her affectionately.

"Prince?" Now that sounded rather familiar. "You cant' possibly mean Potter, there's no way _he's_ royalty."

"You might be surprised." This voice, as smooth and rich as Dark chocolate, spoke aloud, "But this can be discussed at a later date with the Prince himself, I'm sure you'll agree. For now, we must hurry." The one speaking had to be the porlock, Draco was almost positive. Though he still was unsure if he was dreaming or not, it certainly seemed like a dream. The dream like quality to the events just continued to escalate as the dark creature knelt in the cool grass and motioned Draco forwards with a shake of his midnight colored mane. "Quickly now!"

Urged on by the creature's dark stare, Draco was mounted on the broad back before he even knew what he was doing. As a Malfoy, Draco had grown up riding any number of horse-like creatures, including the expensive Pegasus, but this was a completely new experience; not many people got to say they rode a porlock after all.

When the stallion was standing once more, Draco found himself _towering_ above everyone else in the vicinity. It was a powerful and exhilarating feeling. The unicorns surrounded them then, creating an unbroken circle around the pair. As one the ethereal creatures bowed and touched their horns to the ground.

The beast Draco was mounted on tensed up, and Draco was sure he knew what it was planning. Didn't the porlock know that he'd crash into the unicorns if he attempted to go anywhere? The horse didn't seem to care about that, and leapt forward. Draco gasped, clenched his eyes shut, and hunched closer to the animal.

Only, they didn't run into anything. No crash took place, the porlock didn't even _stumble_. In fact, when Draco opened his eyes they weren't in the forest by Hogwarts castle and Draco wasn't even sure he was in Scotland any longer.

The massive black stallion was now cantering down a nicely paved road heading into a landscape riddled with hills Looking around Draco could make out a village stretched out below them, and what looked to be a mansion in the distance. The mansion looked to be where they were headed.

_**Dmhpdmhpdm**_

Getting into the mansion proved a little tricky; Draco had been expecting a guard of some type, sure, but he had assumed it would be Death Eaters.

It wasn't.

When the giant horse stepped under the arch reading '_Riddle Manor' _they were instantly surrounded by dementors and hungry threstrals…

"Go on ahead, young one, I'll take care of things here." Obediently, Draco swung down from his perch and dodged between bodies as his companion made a distraction.

Draco cast a Patronus spell to be on the safe side and was soon running next to a silvery figure that darted around him in a protective barrier.

Once he was inside the mansion he paused, _now what?_ He knew Potter was somewhere inside the labyrinth of a house, but he could be in any number of rooms, including whichever room Lord Voldemort currently resided in.

Draco was in no particular hurry to meet the Dark Lord.

How was he supposed to find, let alone 'rescue' Harry Potter without alerting the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord to his presence? It was a difficult situation he now found himself in, and he was pretty sure it was an impossible task.

Yet, he knew he'd be trying anyway, whether he liked it or not. Which, by the way, was something he definitely did not want to do? What did he look like, a bloody Gryffindor?

He didn't have time to wait; everyone's urgency had started affecting him as well and was making him very edgy.

With a quick glance around to ensure he hadn't been spotted, he laid his wand flat across his left palm and whispered, "Point me." It was a tricky sort of spell mainly because you had to think of what you wanted to find while casting the spell. One wrong thought and he could very easily find himself entertaining Lord Voldemort, and not his little Gryffindor Monimos.

Hopefully he'd done it correctly.

_**Hpdmhpdmhp**_

Hunter stood in one of the upstairs rooms watching from the window as his little brother snuck inside the manor. A brief image of Draco facing off with their father inside the very room in which he stood flitted through his mind and a feral smile curved his lips.

He turned from the window to see his father standing over the prone form of one Harry Potter; casting yet another spell on the boy. This spell would trap the young seeker in a solid sheet of glass. If Draco waited too long it would be a very permanent change. Harry Potter would be lost.

Hunter wasn't too worried about that though; his brother was always very prompt. That was probably a habit ingrained into him by living as a Malfoy. Hunter wasn't cursed with any such restrictions, luckily.

Hunter turned to exit the room, he couldn't stay there. If Draco caught him with the Potter boy, then chances were Hunter wouldn't survive the night. No, now wasn't the time to confront his baby brother. That would happen in due time, he just needed to be patient.

_**Dmphdmhpdm**_

It didn't take Draco long to locate the room Potter was being kept in, though he wasn't anticipating just who the Dark Lord had set to guard Potter. "Father." He spat, venom in his voice. This was the man who sought to suppress Draco's powers.

Lucius Malfoy jolted sharply at the sound of his son's voice. He spun around to face the boy, "Draco, what are you doing here? You should be in school."

Draco's eyes narrowed at the older Malfoy, "Phen took something that belongs to me. I came to get it back."

"You're petty little squabbles can wait until summer I'm sure. You can get whatever it was he took, then."

"I don't think you quite understand," Draco interrupted his father, his silver eyes cold and harsh, "He took my Monimos father."

_**Dmhpdmhpdm**_

Lucius Malfoy was a selfish and cruel man. He'd known his two boys were Seer's almost since they had been born. He'd been so proud at first; after all he's sired, not one, but two very powerful little boys.

Lord Voldemort had, of course, instantly taken and interest in the children. Lucius had permitted his Lord to take the boys as apprentices when they were less then a year old. Of course there wasn't much you can teach a baby, but that would change when they grew older.

It was such an honor for Lucius that his sons had been chosen, but then Voldemort had requested one of them to be his heir. Lucius had agreed, greedy thoughts washing through his mind at full speed.

Then the Potter brat had messed everything up by destroying the Dark Lord. Phen did not return to them for months after the Dark Lord's fall, and even after he returned Lucius could see he had little hold on the boy. Phen would disappear for days on end. Lucius didn't know for certain where his little boy was going, but he had his suspicions just the same.

Then Phen had told him of a vision he had seen, one where Lucius came face to face with his destruction.

Lucius had been alarmed to discover his youngest child was the key to his death. He had to find a way to stop this.

His conclusion was this: If Phen had seen this in a vision, what was stopping Draco from doing the same? Perhaps the vision was what set's Draco off, he'd never dream of murdering his father if someone didn't put the idea into his head.

So, in order to prevent his imminent death, the Malfoy patriarch bound his younger son's powers and enforced strict rules.

Thus far his plan had worked wonderfully, but that was before Draco's powers were released. And if it was true that Phen had taken Draco's Monimos, then….Draco was unstable!

At hearing Draco' words, Lucius paled, "You're…you mean you…" His thoughts were so scrambled he couldn't string together a complete thought, let alone a comprehensible sentence.

"That's right, father. I have all my powers back. I know what you did."

Maybe the situation was still salvageable? "Draco, you can't. I bound your powers for your own safety. Phen told me they would be your downfall; I couldn't let that happen to my heir." It was just a small twist on what really happened, but it seemed reasonable to Lucius.

"Don't lie to me father. I know very well what Phen told you. I was there." Lucius swallowed hard, panic clouding his thoughts. "You stay out of my way and I will spare you." His son said graciously.

Yes, yes of course Draco didn't want to kill his father, and really, Lucius was in no mood to die. He'd stay out of his son's way, "Alright, now why don't you go find your brother and talk it over with him while I finish this spell." He turned away from his son and focused on the sleeping boy once more.

Draco chuckled, though it was filled with a dark humor. "You don't get it father. I cannot let you do that."

"Don't be ridiculous Draco." Lucius said, dismissing Draco off hand.

_**dmhpdmhpdm**_

When Draco's father dismissed him in favor of finishing his newest curse on Harry Potter, something in Draco snapped. His father had hurt Draco's Monimos enough as it was, he would never do so again.

With a harsh wand movement, Lucius' concentration was broken as he was slammed forcefully against a wall.

"Wrong answer." Draco hissed as he stalked towards his father, stopping directly in front of the older wizard to tower over him. He leaned down until he was in his father's face and his voice was barely above a whisper, "You see father, Potter _is_ my Monimos." He straightened once more and waited for his words to sink in, waiting in anticipation for his father's reaction.

He wasn't disappointed either; all sorts of unpleasant emotions crossed his father's face, everything from shock and anger to all out fear. Draco relished his superiority over his father. A moment later the older Malfoy bolted from the room and Draco let him go.

He waited patiently, allowing his father a decent head start, before giving chase.

_**dmhpdmhpdm**_

Hunter watched his father race around a corner, Draco hot on his tail, and smiled. It looked like his baby brother had also taken a liking to the Hunt. Things were going according to plan. Now it was time to set in motion the next stage of his plan.

Hunter quietly slipped into the room he'd previously placed Potter in. The spell his father had been performing was only half finished. Hunter smirked and easily dissolved the spell.

After that he simply needed to find the foundation of the curse keeping the boy trapped in his dreams. Once found, it was a simple task to dissolve that as well. The curse just unraveled, especially after being subjected to Potter's personal protective barrier without the aid of the foundation to strengthen it.

There were a few minutes where the little prince slept on undisturbed. Then his eyes fluttered open and Hunter was graced with two inky orbs with a shock of brilliant green wrapped around the outside of the iris.

The boy blinked, as if confused at what he was seeing, or perhaps he simply thought he was still dreaming. "Malfoy?" He asked incredulously.

Hunter smirked down at the boy-who-lived, "Draco." He corrected, helping the young man sit up. This seemed to confuse the boy further.

"Since when are we on first name basis?" He asked, shooting Hunter a funny look.

Hunter leaned forward until his breath was lightly ghosting across Harry's slightly pointed ears, "since I said so."

Harry shivered violently, his reaction to Hunter's breath intensified by the silver spots lining his sensitive ears. "What are you doing?" His voice was alarmed, but entirely too breathless for Harry's liking.

To Harry's complete surprise and embarrassment Malfoy _licked_ his ear before drawing away, his smirk still firmly in place. "Stay here, I'm going to go check if the coast is clear." With that, Hunter vanished out the door, leaving one flushed and very confused Harry Potter sitting alone in the room.

_**Dmhpdmhpdm**_

Draco wasn't really paying attention to where his father was going, and finally cornered him in a large, already occupied room. He paid little attention to his new audience as he zeroed in on his father.

"You should probably know, father, that you have brought about your own death. If you hadn't bound my powers I would have found my Monimos much sooner. Who knows, if you had played it right, you might have had both of us on your side in this little war. I would have been more inclined to obey your orders, and my Monimos would, of course, have followed my lead." He paused to smile thinly down at his father, "But you did strip me of my powers, and you've endangered my Monimos not once, but _twice_. You had him kidnapped and you refused to relinquish him." His eyes narrowed and his voice came out in a hiss, "_He is mine_, father, and in doing these things, you have sealed your own fate."

He didn't even have to say the words; Draco was so incensed that the moment he even thought about casting the spell a brilliant green light engulfed his father's figure.

Clapping came from somewhere behind Draco and he spun around sharply to face this new threat. His wand was leveled at the source of the sound, "Very impressive, Malfoy." Voldemort praised him, "I didn't know you had it in you. Perhaps you're more like your brother then I suspected."

"I wouldn't say that, my Lord." Hunter commented as he took his place next to Voldemort's throne, "I would never have a light wizard for a Monimos, even if it killed me; while my brother seems perfectly content to have the very beacon of the light as his other."

Lord Voldemort smirked, "Indeed. You shouldn't have come here Malfoy. I can't have you killing my subjects and getting away with it. Crucio!"

Draco, though half expecting the attack, was caught off guard. He cried out as his legs gave way and he was consumed by pain.

_**dmhpdmhpdm**_

Harry was getting restless, once he'd gotten over the embarrassed-shock that Malfoy had left him in, he was able to think properly.

That had been ten minutes ago, and the Slytherin still wasn't back. What in the name of Merlin was taking so long?

Harry froze, mid pace, as an agonized scream echoed down the halls. That sounded like…Malfoy. Something must have gone wrong. Without really stopping to think, Harry dashed out the door-to the rescue.

Malfoy wasn't very hard to locate, just a few doors down. The Slytherin was on the floor writhing in pain. His mouth was open in a silent scream and his eyes were clenched tight.

Harry had never seen his rival like that, and it unnerved him. Even when Hermione punched him, and Buckbeak attacked him it had been different. This time it was real. Harry could actually _feel_ Malfoy's pain, accented by Voldemort's absolute pleasure in someone else's pain. It made Harry sick.

Lord Voldemort had not even noticed Harry was in the room, he was solely focused on the young Malfoy.

Harry had to put a stop to this; Tom Riddle had caused enough people pain-both physical and emotional.

"That's enough." Harry said softly, his voice carrying in the spacious room.

Surprised, Voldemort looked up, never breaking his spell. "Potter!"

Harry ignored him and concentrated on the rivulets of magic coursing around him. The spell was easy to pick out, an ugly, burnt red color that leaked onto one of the magical sources in the room with a thin leash leading to another of the large sources of magic.

Once that was identified, Harry pulled it free and the spell disintegrated in his hands.

The second magical source shot a bright green tendril towards Harry, but he easily caught it and used it as a link to drain the source. He let the magic drain from the source into the earth, which drank it up greedily.

Harry didn't stop until the well of magic was completely depleted. When that task was finished, he blinked out of his strange little trance, slightly dizzy.

Malfoy was staring at him. "What did you do?"

Harry glanced towards Lord Voldemort, completely expecting to be shot down any second. Only, the Dark Lord appeared to be in no condition to kill anyone. He was crumpled on the floor and Harry couldn't' detect any movement.

Shards of shock, confusion, and all out awe, pierced at him from Draco's direction. Though why he was feeling emotions that didn't belong to him he had no idea, he suspected it was another side effect of his 'unicorn' problem.

"I don't know." Harry admitted, moving closer to examine Voldemort's fallen form.

Malfoy was right by his side, "Think he's still alive?" The blond asked with morbid curiosity.

Harry closed his eyes and searched for the tiny speck of magic all living things possessed. He didn't find it. "No, I don't think he is." A hand on his upper arm brought him back to himself. He opened his eyes, only to be caught in twin silver pools.

"We should get going Potter, before any of his Death Eaters find us. Come on." Malfoy pulled him towards the door and safety, but the only thing Harry could think was '_Whatever happened to 'Harry'.'_

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	15. Heart to Heart

_**Please check out my Unicorn Prince website, I promise you'll love it!**_

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

* * *

**_Unicorn Prince _**

**_Chapter 15: Heart to Heart_**

Riddle manor was a lot bigger then Harry had thought it would be. He'd seen it looming in the distance the night of the third task in fourth year, but he hadn't caught more then a glimpse of it at the time. He'd been a bit preoccupied with the circling Death Eaters and dangerous spelling being hurled at him in the dark.

Now, though, Harry was becoming intimately acquainted with the interior of Lord Voldemort's headquarters and he was able to see just how large the place actually was.

It was like a maze of halls with lines of doorways and shadowy staircases. The gloom encasing the hallways was almost suffocatingly thick and was only broken by randomly placed torches or the occasional flood of light leaking from under a doorway.

Harry was pretty sure Voldemort had magically expanded the building and cast multiple spells over it in order to achieve this effect, but achieve it he had. This place was downright creepy.

Malfoy was leading the way, not surprising that, and he seemed to know where they were going. It made Harry very suspicious, but there wasn't much he could do at the moment, and the blond _had_ saved him. They hadn't met up with any of the Death Eaters still residing in the building so Harry felt more inclined to trust the boy. Malfoy moved with a silent confidence that Harry was hard pressed not to admire.

Harry had had plenty of time to think as they moved through the manor; mainly because Malfoy was ignoring him again.

He'd come to the conclusion that he'd imagined the whole 'Draco' thing, he must have still been half asleep when Malfoy had woken him and he'd gotten his _dream_ mixed up with reality.

What had made him mix up his Dream Phantom with Malfoy of all people he didn't know and wasn't too keen to find out but he suspected that it was still effecting him if the disappointment rising in him was anything to go by.

This didn't put Harry's mind at ease in the least though, only making him more confused.

If Malfoy had some twisted sort of crush on him it would have at least explained why he was _there_, 'rescuing' Harry. But he obviously still detested Harry as much as he always had so what could have possibly possessed him to play hero?

How had Harry even gotten to the manor in the first place? Last thing he remembered he'd been safely ensconced in Hogwarts castle with the rest of the students.

Where were Ron and Hermione? Were they alright? And if they were, why weren't they the ones sneaking through Riddle Manor with him?

Harry glanced at the blond in front of him again before shaking his head.

His whole world had been turned upside down…again. On a whim Harry reached out and snagged the back of Malfoy's robes, tugging lightly on them to get the blonds' attention.

At the unusual strain to his clothing Malfoy peered back at him from over his shoulder with an eyebrow arched in question.

"What's going on Malfoy?" He asked, releasing the other's robes. Malfoy turned and regarded him for a long moment. Harry was afraid he'd made a mistake, committed some strange wizarding social faux pas, but after a moment Malfoy's expression shifted and Harry was able to breathe again.

"Tell you what Potter, I'll make a deal with you. You can ask me any question you like, any one at all, and I'll answer it completely and truthfully-so long as you do the same for me." That sounded more then reasonable, and was (honestly) more then Harry had expected from the unapproachable Slytherin. He nodded hesitantly in reply, "Make it count Potter, you only get one question." The older boy warned.

One question. But there were so many scrambling around in his brain; how was he supposed to pick just one? He supposed he should ask a question that would encompass a variety of subjects rather then just one.

Before the other boy could bet impatient with him he decided to go with what was bothering him most, "Why are you here?" Okay so that didn't come out quite right, he hadn't meant to sound so rude. "I mean, why did you come to get me? Why not Ron and Hermione? You don't even like me." He pointed out helpfully.

Again with the long, considering look. Harry almost shivered, not at all used to having those silver eyes focused on him with anything less then complete loathing. "No, I don't like you." Malfoy agreed, "But you are mine nonetheless, and Malfoy's take care of what belongs to them."

Harry bristled at the comment; he had no clue what made Malfoy think he _owned_ him, but he wasn't going to let it go uncontested. "I don't know what fantasy world you've been living in Malfoy, but I have never, nor will ever, belong to you in any way shape or form." Harry spat at the blond.

Malfoy seemed completely unaffected by the venom in Harry's voice as he took a step closer. Harry quickly back peddled, suddenly uncomfortable with being alone with the silver eyed Slytherin. His strange waking dream from earlier started replaying in his mind, "My turn Potter." Malfoy's voice had lowered and was now only a few octaves higher then it had been in his dream. He did shiver then.

Malfoy maneuvered Harry backwards until he was pressed against the rough stone of the walls, "Tell me Potter," His voice was like melted chocolate, and Harry wanted to close his eyes and savor the sweet rich decadence of it, "Tell me about your horn. Where did it come from, why do you have it, and what does it mean?"

The words slid over Harry's flesh, licked at his ears, and caressed his senses. It took a few moments for their meaning to sink in. When they did, Harry went ridged. His soul froze and his heart stopped.

Malfoy knew. Malfoy _knew_. How was this possible? No one knew, no one could see.

So why then was Malfoy trailing one long slender finger up and down his horn? It was impossible, yet it was happening. It was real. "How-you can-no." He stammered out, still completely in shock.

A slow, sensuous smile slid over the Slytherin's lips and the finger slipped down to glide over the milky markings on the brunettes face, "Yes, Potter, I can see it quite plainly. The first time I noticed, you were flickering. That's probably what drew my attention in the first place; you kept changing, moving from your normal boring 'Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, Gryffindor Golden boy', to this enchanting exotic creature. I'm sure you can imagine my curiosity. Now, are you going to tell me?"

Harry could hardly breath, his safe sane world was quickly spiraling out of control and he'd lost the reigns a long time ago. Malfoy was still speaking in that low, sinful voice, and he was standing uncomfortably close to Harry, who, though only a couple inches shorter then Malfoy, felt immeasurably small.

"No Malfoy." He breathed, trying to get some small semblance of control back. "It's a long story and you haven't finished answering my question yet."

Malfoy stared him down for a long while but Harry refused to back down; he was a Gryffindor the bloody boy-who-lived, he wasn't going to let Malfoy, of all people, control him.

Malfoy pulled back abruptly, his face a cold mask once more, "Oh, but I did answer you Potter, but I see you're in need of a little clarity. I'll explain," He said mock graciously, "I'm sure you of all people are aware of the term Seer." That went without saying, though why Malfoy felt the need to bring it up Harry had no idea. "But I'm positive you've never encountered a True Seer."

He didn't give Harry an opportunity to counter that claim, but kept speaking. "True Seers are very rare, sure you'll get some people cropping up here and there spouting off random Prophesies -such as our dear Professor, but their armatures." He sneered, "Their prophesies could be compared to a muggle card trick. A True Seer, Potter, is _always_ in touch with the future. They see it every minute of every day.

'A True Seer, Potter, is intimately connected with the lines of magic that make up the future; it's so much more in depth then anything you could possibly imagine." Harry thought briefly back to his confrontation with Voldemort and the pulsing layers of magic he had felt surrounding him. He somehow didn't think Malfoy would believe him if he said he could-he still didn't see what this had to do with him though.

This was where Malfoy made his point, and everything began to click into place, "I'm a True Seer Potter." So this was why Malfoy had come after him then, he'd _seen_ it.

Sure, it still wasn't very logical, and Malfoy would most likely have a hard time explaining why he'd helped him other then 'my vision told me to' but it was enough of an explanation for Harry.

Malfoy, apparently, didn't quite agree with Harry's quick assessment of the situation, for he continued talking, "I'm a True Seer Potter," He repeated, as if to emphasize the point, "And you are my Monimos."

Harry's mind went blank, "You're what?" He deadpanned.

And Malfoy was back again, hovering inches away from Harry's now quivering body. Why was he reacting like this? He didn't understand it at all.

"My Monimos Potter. My Stabilizer, my Grounder. You, essentially, keep me sane." He explained. The explanation only brought on more questions, and Malfoy apparently read that in his eyes because he patted Harry's cheek condescendingly, "Don't worry your pretty little head over it Potter, we'll speak more on this when we get back to Hogwarts." Had Malfoy just called him _pretty_? "Now why don't you tell me about your fascinating new look." He practically purred.

Harry was so confused, "Are you bipolar by chance?" He asked bluntly, eliciting another raised eyebrow from the blond, "No, seriously, one minute you're as cold as ice and ignoring me like there's no tomorrow, then your practically molesting me against the wall. What is wrong with you?"

Malfoy pulled away again, his back rim rod straight, and his eyes like shards of ice, "Just answer the question Potter."

It was Harry's turn to regard his unlikely companion for a long moment; if he really was a 'True Seer' like he said wouldn't he already know about Harry's horn? But Malfoy had answered him and it was only fair he return the favor. Maybe he could ask later when they had that more 'in depth' talk Malfoy had been hinting at.

"I'm not very clear on what happened, Malfoy." He admitted truthfully, running a hand through his already messy hair, "I thought I'd just dreamed it all at first. I still feel like it was some strange dream." That was said more to himself then Malfoy, and a quick glance at the blonds' impatient face had Harry realizing that he was rambling and not explaining well at all.

He took a deep breath and started again, "I don't know what woke me that night, or what brought me to the forest, but I felt it was right. I was greeted at the forests edge by a group of women who led me into the trees." As Harry spoke his mind replayed the experience and he marveled over the feeling of absolute peace the memory brought with it. "I've never had such a strong sense of _belonging_ before. When we settled down they told me a story about one of their sisters who fell in love with a human and went away to live with him. Apparently they were my grandparents."

"You came into your inheritance then." Malfoy's voice broke into his little bubble of serenity and Harry's head shot up like he'd just been prodded in the posterior with a hot iron.

"Inheritance?" Hermione might have mentioned something about that once or twice in the past year but Harry hadn't really been paying that much attention since he hadn't thought it would really apply to him.

At Harry's confused expression Malfoy gave an exasperated sigh, "I knew you were brainless, but this is ridiculous." Harry huffed at the insult, but Malfoy ignored it, "Everyone is born with all the magic we will ever need in our life. Our magical core will never grow or change, but when we're children our magic is too powerful for our bodies and minds to cope with. A natural block is put on our magic when we're born so we don't cause any damage to ourselves but as we grow older and are able to control our magic that barrier breaks down. When it breaks down completely that is what is referred to as our Inheritance."

"That doesn't explain why I have a horn, though." Harry pointed out.

The blond nodded, "You're grandparents were Soul Mates, usually Soul Mates are from the same species, but occasionally a human will show up with a vampire or a veela mate. It's very rare, but it has been known to happen. When your Inheritance broke you not only gained access to the rest of your magical core, but to the magical core of the creature your grandmother was."

"Wait." Harry interrupted, "Humans and creatures have different magical cores? Does that mean I have _two _cores?"

"Human magic works differently from creature magic, I can't really explain it. The few humans who can use creature magic usually have an affinity to a certain element. Like say you were part siren, you'd be able to manipulate water almost as well as a full blooded siren. You wouldn't have received any _features_ from the siren, like the Song or the scales, just the magic.

The intense look was back in his eyes, "That's why you fascinate me so, Potter. No human in history with creature blood has ever received the _looks _of their ancestor. A half elf doesn't have pointy ears and a half veela isn't unearthly beautiful, a half vampire doesn't have fangs…so why are you so different?" Malfoy's fingers brushed down Harry's horn, over the silver markings to the pointed tip of his ear.

An amused smirk curved Malfoy's lips when Harry shivered under his caress before he pulled away. Harry didn't have an answer for him, and even if he did he couldn't have answered him anyway. Not with his voice caught in his throat as it was.

He wasn't given much time to concentrate on Malfoy's words anyway; the blond had gone stiff moments after his confession, a strange film sliding over his eyes before all the color started to bleed away from the irises. Even the deep pits of his pupils faded away until Malfoy's eyes were pure undiluted pools of ivory.

The blank stare unnerved Harry and a chill rand down his spine, "Malfoy?" He questioned hesitantly, but he received no reaction.

Harry could _feel_ that something was wrong; all the emotions that had been pouring off of the blond since Harry had woken had suddenly stopped.

Cautiously extending a hand, Harry laid it lightly on Malfoy's arm, only to feel a jolt go through him and he was practically pulled into the magic holding the blond in its grip. Something seemed to be pulling Malfoy's magical core, winding it down deep into the blonds' soul.

Concerned despite himself, Harry latched onto the Slytherin's source of magic. Feeling along the smooth flow of energy harry found an abnormality, something long and thin was wrapped around Malfoy's core and Harry was pretty sure it did not belong there.

Harry focused on his strange leech-like string of magic. Feeling along it like he had with Malfoy's core, Harry was able to discover just what the magic was: time. He could feel the forces of the past present and future surging beneath the surface, a siren's call to those who were unwary.

Unfortunately, this source of magic had a strong grip on Malfoy and it was slowly wrapping itself more firmly around the Seer's core with every passing moment. If Harry didn't take care of this soon, he didn't think he'd be able to get it off and Harry had no idea what that would do to the blond, though he suspected it wouldn't be good.

Keeping a firm hold on Malfoy's core, Harry began mapping out the thread of time, lightly brushing over the magic and influencing it here and there until it was no longer wrapped dangerously around the Slytherin. It still had a hold on the other boy, though, so Harry carefully maneuvered a small piece of his own magic in between Malfoy and the thread.

Then Harry painstakingly spread his magic into a thin film between the two sources of magic. Once his magic was as thin as he could get it without tearing holes into it Harry began to wrap it around the time magic like a net or a leash, then gently guided it away from the young Malfoy. Once he was sure that it was no longer touching Malfoy and was stable on its own, harry released it and returned to Malfoy's core to check for damage.

Luckily there was none that he could find and he was able to return to his own body safely, gasping sharply as he did so.

Malfoy was staring at him now, his look so intense that Harry retreated a couple steps, "What?" He snapped.

Malfoy shook his head, "We'll talk about this later, if we stay here any longer we'll be caught." He said that with such surety that Harry suspected he'd Seen it. Nodding uncertainly, Harry followed Malfoy through the halls, up stairs and through random doorways.

They paused as the path they were walking split in two, one staircase going down and one going up. Both choices were shrouded in thick shadows. Harry had a bad feeling about this and shivered, moving minutely closer to the taller boy.

"Come on." Malfoy murmured, and Harry noted that even he sounded unsure. He caught Harry's wrist and Harry let him, then headed for one of the staircases. They'd taken only three steps down before harry froze, his eyes wide and his breathing harsh.

Shaking his head frantically he started back peddling, causing Malfoy to turn to look at him. Malfoy raised an eyebrow at Harry's panicked expression, "What's wrong?" He asked, "We need to keep moving it's dangerous to stay here."

"I don't want to go down there Malfoy, let's go the other way."

Malfoy frowned now, "We need to be headed down Potter, we're still on the third floor and the exit is not going to be found upstairs."

"I don't care!" Harry snapped, "There's something down there, something evil, something hungry."

"I didn't See anything," Malfoy mused, but from Harry's expression alone he knew Harrya wasn't joking, "How can you be so sure?"

"I can feel it." Harry's voice had gone impossibly soft at this admission, then he started shaking his head emphatically again, "I'm not going down there Malfoy." He reiterated.

"Alright, we'll go the other way." Malfoy agreed, if Harry were afraid of this thing he wasn't about to go messing with it. But it did make him wonder just what was down there.

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**_Please note that all my updates will go first to my website, and all my rewrites will be found there. This story will not be edited on this site, so if you want any new bits to this story that you may miss please visit my site._**

http: www. starflowergem .com / the_unicorn_prince .html

**_Review!_**


	16. updates

I've had a lot of people ask if I'm going to finish this story and, to be honest, I love the Unicorn Prince, but I'm not satisfied with it in the least. So I'm curious as to how many of the readers would like to see me completely rewrite it. I've grown a lot as a writer over the years and continuing from this point in the story will be difficult because it was so poorly written and I've lost a lot of my ideas. I still remember where I was going and what I had planned, but it's all a little fuzzy. So, we'll have a little poll here, how many would like to see me finish this version of UP, and how many would like to see it redone and improved?

Send me a review or find the brand new poll on my profile either one works (or both if you want to count twice) (and for those asking about the website, it died when I ran out of money to pay for it that's why you can't reach it)

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